THE 


.HISTORY   OF   AMERICA.- 


'BY 


THOMAS  F.  QORDON. 


VOLUMES  FIRST  AND  SECOND, 


CONTAINING 


THE  HISTORY  OF  THE  SPANISH  DISCOVERIES 
PRIOR  TO  1520. 


VOLUME  II. 


CAREY  &  LEA— CHESTNUT  STREET. 
1831. 


Entered  according  to  the  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1831 
by  THOMAS  F.  GORDON,  in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District 
Court  of  the  Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania. 


STEREOTYPED   BY   J.  HOWE. 


CONTEXTS  OF  VOL.  II. 

CHAPTER  I. 
SECT.    I.  Rights  of  Ferdinand,  on  the  death  of  Isabella Page      8 

II.  Condition  of  Hispaniola 9 

III.  Administration  of  Ovando 10 

IV.  Policy  of  Ferdinand  in  Hispaniola 11 

V.  Introduction  of  slaves  from  the  Lucayan  Islands 12 

VI.  Circumnavigation  of  Cuba 14 

VII.  Adjudication  of  the  claims  of  Don  Diego  Columbus  ....     15 
VIII.  D.  Columbus  proceeds  to  Hispaniola  as  Governor 16 

IX.  Repartimientos  of  Indians  by  Diego  Columbus  17 

X.  Pearl  Fishery  at  Cubagua 17 

XI.  Colonization  of  Jamaica 19 

XII.  Reduction  of  Cuba  by  Velasquez 20 

XIII.  Discovery  of  Florida  by  Ponce  de  Leon 24 

XIV.  Search  for  the  island  of  Bimini  and  the  fountain  of  Re 

juvenescence  24 

XV.  Intrigues  against  Diego  Columbus— He  resolves  to  re 
turn  to  Spain— Distribution  of  the  Indians  by  Alber- 

querque  26 

XVI.  Efforts  of  the  Dominicans  in  favour  of  the  Indians 28 

XVII.  The  king  confirms  the  repartimientos,  and  gives  instruc 
tions  for  the  treatment  of  the  Indians 29 

XVIII.  Las  Casas  becomes  the  advocate  of  the  Indians— His  ef 
forts  in  Spain  for  their  relief 31 

XIX.  Cardinal  Ximenes  establishes  a  commission  for  the  gov 
ernment  of  American  affairs 32 

XX.  Proceeding  of  the  Commissioners 33 

XXI.  They  confirm  the  Repartimientos 34 

XXII.  Dissatisfaction  of  Las  Casas  35 

XXIII.  Procures  the  reconsideration  of  the  Indian  question 35 

XXIV.  Introduction  of  Negro-slavery  into  the  West  Indies  ..   .  36 
XXV.  Remarks  on  the  conduct  of  Las  Casas 38 

XXVI.  Las  Casas  proposes  the  emigration  of  labourers  and 

husbandmen 39 

XXVII.  He  proposes  to  establish  a  colony  on  Terra  Firma,  un 
der  ecclesiastical  jurisdiction  40 

XXVIII.  Reception  of  his  scheme  by  the  king's  ministers  42 

XXIX.  Caution  of  the  king 42 

XXX.  Discussion  of  the  Indian  question  before  him 43 

XXXI.  Scheme  of  Las  Casas  approved  by  the  king 44 

XXXII.  Impediments  to  its  execution 44 

XXXIII.  Experiment  of  Figueroa  on  the  capacity  of  the  natives  46 

XXXIV.  Unfortunate  result  of  Las  Casas's  attempt  at  coloniza 

tion  47*" 

XXXV.  Return  of  Diego  Columbus  to  Spain — Reception  by  the 

king 48 

XXXVI.  Restored  to  his  honours  by  Charles  V 49 

XXXVII.  State  of  Hispaniola— Revolt  of  the  African  slaves 50 

XXXVIII.  Revolt  of  the  Cacique  Henriquex 51 

XXXIX.  Serrano  empowered  to  colonize  the  Caribbee  islands  . .  57 

CHAPTER  II. 

SECT.     I.  Efforts  for  the  exploration  of  the  American  continent  60 

II.  Voyage  of  Solis  and  Pinzon Gl 

III.  Terms  of  grants  made  to  Ojeda  and  Nicuesa 61 

IV.  Singular  instructions  given  to  Ojeda  and  Nicuesa. ...  63 
V.  Unfortunate  attempt  of  Ojeda  at  Carthagena 65 

VI.  Relieved  by  Nicuesa,  and  proceeds  to  the  Gulf  of  Uraba    66 

VII.  Misfortunes  of  Ojeda  there 67 

VIII.  Ojeda  returns  to  Hispaniola  for  aid — His  death 68 

IX.  Nicuesa  proceeds  to  Veragua,  and  is  deserted  by  his 

lieutenant  ^    70 

X.  Loses  his  vessel— His  great  sufferings 70 


IT  CONTENTS. 

XI.  Settles  at  Nombre  de  Dios 72 

XII.  Sufferings  of  the  colonists  there 72 

XIII.  Proceedings  of  the  colony  of  Ojeda 73 

XIV.  Establishment  of  thecolony  of  Santa  Maria  del  Darien 

—Balboa  chosen  Alcade— Fate  of  Nicuesa 74 

XV.  Balboa  expels  Enciso 76 

XVI.  Engagement  of  Pizarro  with  the  natives 76 

XVII.  Balboa  invades  the  territories,  and  conquers  the  Ca 
cique  of  Careta  77 

XVIII.  Visits  the  district  of  Comagre,  and  receives  informa 
tion  of  the  South  Sea 78 

XIX.  Preparations  of  Balboa  for  visiting  the  South  Sea. ...  79 

XX.  Subjugates  the  country  around  Darien 80 

XXI.  Dispatches  agents  to  Spain  81 

XXII.  Disturbances  in  the  colony 82 

XXIII.  Balboa  resolves  to  cross  to  the  South  Sea 82 

XXIV.  Reaches  the  South  Sea  83 

XXV.  Discoveries  on  the  coast  85 

XXVI.  Balboa  returns  to  Darien 86 

XXVII.  Disposition  of  the  Spanish  court  towards  Balboa 88 

XXVIII.  Ferdinand  resolves  to  send  succours  to  Darien,  under 

Pedrarias  Davila 88 

XXIX.  Further  expeditions  of  Balboa 89 

XXX.  Arrival  of  Pedrarias  at  Darien 90 

XXXI.  The  colony  is  distressed  by  famine  and  pestilence 90 

XXXII.  Expeditions  under  the  officers  of  Pedrarias 91 

XXXIII.  Dissensions  between  Pedrarias  and  Balboa 93 

XXXIV.  Expedition  of  Morales  to  the  South  Sea  94 

XXXV.  Manner  of  the  Pearl  Fishery  at  Panama 96 

XXXVI.  Confederacy  of  Indians  against  Morales 96 

XXXVII.  Expedition  of  Gusmaa  to  Panama 97 

XXXVIII.  Unfortunate  expedition  of  Vallejo  98 

XXXIX.  Destruction  of  a  party  of  Spaniards  under  Bazarra. . .    99 

XL.  Panic  state  of  the  colony 100 

XLI.  Expedition  of  Badajos 100 

XLII.  Badajos  defeated  by  the  Cacique  Paris 101 

XLIII.  Expedition  of  Pedrarias  in  search  of  Bazarra 102 

XLIV.  Effort  of  Espinosa  to  recover  the  treasure  lost  by  Ba 
dajos  103 

XLV.  Proceedings  of  Espinosa  in  the  Isthmus 104 

XLVI.  Accommodation  between  Pedrarias  and  Balboa 105 

XLVII.  Balboa  transports  frames  for  ships  across  the  Isthmus  106 
XLVIII.  Is  accused  of  sedition,  and  put  to  death  by  Pedrarias.  107 
XLIX.  Giles  Gonzalez  prepares  an  expedition  to  the  South 

Sea 109 

L.  The  towns  of  Panama  and.  Nombre  de  Dios  built  ....  110 

LI.  Arrival  and  death  of  Lope  de  Sosa  110 

LII.  Discovery  of  Yucatan  by  F.  Hernandez  Cordova 110" 

LIII.  His  reception  by  the  natives— Return  to  Cuba 112  • 

LIV.  Velasquez  sends  a  second  expedition  to  Yucatan  un 
der  Grijalva 114 

LV.  Discovery  of  the  Island  of  Cozumel    114 

LVI.  Traditions  relative  to  the  crosses  found  in  Yucatan. .  115 

LVII.  Intercourse  of  Grijalva  with  the  natives 116 

LVIII.  Courtesy  of  the  natives  by  order  of  Montezuina 117 

LIX.  Human  sacri  fices  in  the  temples  118 

LX.  Return  of  Grijalva  to  Cuba— Is  unjustly  treated  by 

Valasquez  ." 118 

LXI.  Magellan  proposes  to  discover  a  passage  through  the 

western  continent  to  the  South  Sea 120 

LXII.  Departs  from  San  Lucar,  and  arrives  at  La  Plata 121 

LXIII.  Winters  in  49£  degrees  south  latitude— Mutiny  in  the 

squadron 129 


CONTENTS.  V 

LXIV.  Severity  of  the  cold— Large  size  of  the  inhabitants  ...  123 
LXV.  Loses  one  of  his  vessels — Discovers  the  strait  that 

bears  his  name 124 

LXVI.  His  progress  through  the  strait  125 

LXVII.  Is  deserted  by  the  San  Antonio,  one  of  his  vessels  ...  126 
LXVIII.  Passes  into  the  Southern  Ocean— Discovers  the  Unfor 
tunate  Islands  12(5 

LXIX.  Discovers  the  Philippine  Islands 127 

LXX.  Is  slain  in  combat  with  the  natives 128 

LXXI.  The  remainder  of  the  squadron  reach  the  Moluccas — 
The  ships  lade  with  spices,  and  the  Victory  returns 

to  Spain 129 

LXXII.  Composition  between  Spain  and  Portugal  relative  to 

the  Moluccas 129 

CHAPTER  III. 
I.  View  of  the  West  Indies— Improper  generalization  of 

authors,  in  describing  America 132 

II.  Geographical  notice  of  the  West  Indies 133 

III. Gulf  or  Florida  stream 134 

IV.  Transparency  of  the  Sea 135 

V.  Fresh- water  Springs  in  the  Sea 136 

VI.  Mountains  of  the  West  Indies 136 

VII.  Geology  of  the  Islands  imperfectly  known 137 

VIII.  Climate  and  seasons    " 137 

IX.  Land  and  sea  breezes 141 

X.  Hurricanes 142 

XI.  Of  the  inhabitants — Two  distinct  races 144 

XII.  Of  the  Charaibes,  or  Caribs 144 

1.  Origin 144 

2.  Character— Cannibalism 149 

3.  Persons  and  Ornaments 152 

4.  Education 153 

5.  Initiation  of  their  Chiefs 154 

6.  Initiation  of  a  Monarch  of  the  Guiana  Caribs  .   157 

7.  Initiation  of  a  Boyez  or  Priest 159 

8.  Government 162 

9.  Marriage 162 

10.  Peculiar  customs 163 

11.  Dwellings 164 

12.  Arts  and  Manufactures 164 

13.  Food 164 

14.  Burials 165 

15.  Religion   166 

16.  Language 108 

XIII.  Of  the  Arrowauks. 

1.  Origin  168 

2.  Persons  and  Constitutions 169 

3.  Exercises 170 

4.  Intellectual  acquirements 171 

5.  Government 173 

6.  Funeral  Ceremonies 174 

7.  Areytos,  or  National  Songs 175 

8.  Religion    176 

9.  Domestic  Arts   180 

10.  Of  their  Extirpation 183 

XIV.  Of  the  Quadrupeds  of  the  West  Indies 186 

1.  The  Agouti 186 

2.  The  Pecary 187 

3.  Armadillo 187 

4.  The  Opossum , 188 

5.  The  Raccoon 188 

6.  The  Muskrat , -  188 


VI  CONTENTS* 

7,  The  Alco— Monkey  and  its  varieties , . . .  188 

8.  The  Iguana  189 

XV.  Of  the  Mountain  Crab  190 

XVI.  Of  the  Serpents  193 

XVII.  Of  the  Lizards 194 

XVIII.  Of  the  Insects  195 

1.  Scorpions 195 

2.  Snails 193 

3.  Fire-flies 196 

4.  Phalanges 197 

5.  Spiders 198 

6.  FlyingTiger 199 

XIX.  Of  the  Birds  199 

1.  Frigates 199 

2.  Flamingo  200 

3.  Ducks,  Geese,  &c 200 

4.  Land  Fowl,  Turkeys,  &c 200 

5.  Parrots— Arras— Canides  201 

6.  Ortolans,  or  October  Birds  203 

7.  Humming  Birds 203 

8.  Indian  mode  of  taking  water-fowl 205 

XX.  Of  the  Fish  of  the  West  Indies  205 

1.  The  Remora   205 

2.  The  Manati,  or  Sea-cow 206 

3.  Turtle 209 

XXI.  Vegetable  productions  useful  in  the  Arts 211 

1.  Cedar 212 

2.  Acajou,  or  Mahogany 212 

3.  Acomas 213 

4.  Rose-wood 213 

5.  Indian-wood 213 

6.  Lignum  Vita: 214 

7.  Iron-wood 214 

8.  Brazil-wood 215 

9.  Roucou 215 

10.  Cotton  Plants,  and  Cotton-tree 216 

11.  Soap-trees 216 

12.  Indian  Fig-tree 217 

13.  Coral-wood — Candle- wood  218 

14.  Gourd,  or  Calabash-trees 218 

XXII.  Vegetables  producing  food,  &c 219 

1.  Anana,  or  Pine  Apple 219 

2.  Goyava 221 

3.  Papaw 222 

4.  Avocado,  or  Alligator-pear 222 

5.  The  Momin-tree 223 

6.  The  Junipa  223 

7.  The  Raisin-tree  223 

8.  The  fruit-bearing  Acajou 224 

9.  The  Icaco  Plum 225 

10.  The  Hog-plum 225 

1L  The    Palm— Prickly-palm— Franc-palm— Lata- 

nier-palm — Cocoa-nut  tree 225 

12.  The  Cacao,  or  Chocolate 228 

13.  The  Cassia-tree 228 

14.  The  Plantain  or  Banana 229 

15.  The  Prickly  Pear 233 

16.  Indian  Pepper 233 

17.  Varieties  of  Pulse,  &c 233 

18.  Maize,  or  Indian  Corn 233 

19.  Manioc,  or  Cassava  Root 234 

20.  Yams 236 

21.  Potatoes ,,.,..,,.'.'!.".!"  237 


HISTORY  OF  AMERICA. 


SPANISH    DISCOVERIES,    &c. 


CHAPTER  I. 

I.  Rights  of  Ferdinand  on  the  death  of  Isabella. . . . 
II.  Condition  of  Hispaniola. . .  .III.  Administra 
tion  of  Ovando. . .  .IV.  Policy  of  Ferdinand  in 
Hispaniola. . .  .V.  Introduction  of  slaves  from  the 
Lucayan  Islands. . .  .VI.  Circumnavigation  of 
Cuba.  Settlement  of  Porto  Rico. . .  .VII.  Adju 
dication  of  the  claims  of  Diego  Columbus. . . . 

VIII.  He  proceeds  to  Hispaniola  as  governor. .  . . 

IX.  Repartimientos  of  Indians  at  Hispaniola  by 
Diego  Columbus. . .  .X.  Pearl  Fishery  at  Cuba- 
gua. . .  .XI.  Colonization  of  Jamaica. . .  .XII.  Re 
duction  of  Cuba  by  Valasquez. .  .  .XIII.  Discov 
ery  of  Florida  by  Ponce  de  Leon. . .  .XIV.  Search 

for  the  island  of  Bimini,  and  the  fountain  of  Re 
juvenescence.  . .  .XV.  Intrigues  against  Diego  Co 
lumbus.  He  resolves  to  return  to  Spain.  Distri 
bution  of  the  Indians  by  Alberqucrqiie. . .  .XVI. 
Efforts  of  the  Dominicans  in  favour  of  the  In 
dians.  . .  .XVII.  The  King  confirms  the  reparti- 
mientos,  and  gives  instructions  for  the  treatment 
of  the  Indians. . .  .XVIII.  Father  Las  Casas  be 
comes  the  advocate  of  the  Indians.  His  efforts  in 
Spain  for  their  relief. . .  .XIX.  Cardinal  Xime- 
nes  establishes  a  commission  for  the  government 
of  American  affairs. . .  .XX.  Proceedings  of  the 
Commissioners. . .  .XXI.  They  confrm  the  repar- 
timientos. . .  .XXIL  Dissatisfaction  of  Las  Cas- 


6       •>.?<».     n5"""HIS1?OBY   OI".  AMERICA.  [cH.  1. 

:as.\  .'.XXin.  'Procurts  the  reconsideration  of  the 
Indian  question. . .  .XXIV.  Introduction  of  Negro 
slavery  in  the  West  Indies. . .  .XXV.  Remarks  on 
the  conduct  of  Las  Casas. . .  .XXVI.  Las  Casas 
proposes  the  emigration  of  labourers  and  husband 
men.  . .  .XXVII.  He  proposes  to  establish  a  colony 
on  Terra  Firma  under  ecclesiastical  jurisdic 
tion.  . .  .XXVIII.  Reception  of  his  scheme  by  the 
king's  ministers. . .  .XXIX/Cawfaora  of  the  king. . .. 
XXX.  Discussion  of  the  Indian  question  before 
him. . .  .XXXI.  Scheme  of  Las  Casas  approved 
by  the  king. . .  .XXXII.  Impediments  to  its  exe 
cution.  . .  .XXXIII.  Experiment  of  Figueroa  on 
the  capacity  of  the  natives. . .  .XXXIV.  Unfortu 
nate  result  of  Las  Casas's  attempt  at  coloniza 
tion XXXV.  Return  of  Diego  Columbus  to 

Spain.  His  reception  by  the  king. .  .  .XXXVI. 
Restored  to  his  honours  by  Charles  V. . .  .XXXVII. 
State  of  Hispaniola.  Revolt  of  the  African 

slaves XXXVIII.  Revolt  of  the  Cacique  Hen- 

riques. . .  .XXXIX.  Serrano  empowered  to  colo 
nize  the  Caribbee  islands. 

I.  IT  will  be  recollected,  that  the  first  enterprize 
of  Columbus  was  undertaken  for  the  crown  of  Cas 
tile,  and  that  the  new  world  became  a  dependency 
of  that  kingdom.  On  the  death  of  Isabella,  both, 
by  the  natural  order  of  succession,  would  have 
passed  to  Philip,  archduke  of  Austria,  and  his  wife 
Joanna,  the  sole  surviving  child  and  heiress  of  Fer 
dinand  and  Isabella.  But  the  duke  had_pot  the 
confidence  of  his  mother-in-law,  and  the  imbecility 
of  Joanna  rendered  her  unfit  to  direct  public  af 
fairs.  Moved  by  these  considerations,  Isabella,  a 
few  weeks  before  her  death,*  by  will,  appointed 
Ferdinand  regent,  or  administrator  of  Castile,  un- 

*  26th  November,  1504,  at  Medina  del  Campo. 


CH.  1.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  9 

til  her  grandson,  Charles,  should  attain  the  age  of 
twenty  years.  She  bequeathed  to  him,  also,  one- 
half  of  the  revenues  of  the  Indies,  and  the  grand- 
masterships  of  the  three  military  orders  of  her 
kingdom.  In  return  for  these  favourable  disposi 
tions,  she  required  him  to  swear  that  he  would  not, 
by  a  second  marriage,  or  otherwise,  deprive  Joan 
na,  or  her  posterity,  of  the  right  of  succession  to 
any  of  his  realms.  Immediately  on  the  queen's 
death,  Ferdinand  resigned  the  title  of  King  of 
Castile,  and  caused  Philip  and  Joanna  to  be  pro 
claimed  sovereigns  of  that  kingdom  ;  but  assumed, 
at  the  same  time,  the  character  of  Regent,  which 
he  prevailed  upon  the  Cortes  to  acknowledge.* 

II.  By  the  death  of  Isabella,  the  Indians  lost 
their  only  protector.  The  relaxation  of  the  reins 
of  government  caused  by  that  event,  subjected  the 
island  of  Hispaniola  to  the  almost  uncontrolled 
authority  of  Ovando.  The  regulations  mitigating 
the  rigour  of  Indian  servitude  were  forgotten : — 
the  wages  allotted  to  Indian  labourers  were  with 
drawn,  and  their  tasks  increased ;  and  the  govern 
or,  without  restraint,  distributed  them  among  his 
friends.  In  Spain,  the  courtiers  who  could  obtain 
no  other  rewards,  solicited  grants  of  Indians,  whom, 
some,  emigrating  to  the  island,  employed  under 
their  own  direction,  whilst  others  farmed  them  out, 
or  governed  them  by  an  overseer.  This  cruel  poli 
cy,  most  destructive  to  the  Indian  race,  produced 
great  immediate  profits  from  the  mines.  The  gold 
was  melteoWlown  quarterly,  under  an  officer  duly 
appointed,  and  amounted  annually  to  the  sum  of 
four  hundred  and  sixty  thousand  pesos.  Of  this 
great  mass  of  wealth,  a  small  portion  only  remained 
with  the  original  acquirers ;  most  of  whom,  living 

*  2  Robertson's  Charles  V.  p.  6. 


10  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [CH.  1. 

according  to  their  hopes,  always  beyond  their 
means,  were  deeply  in  debt. 

The  proprietors  and  workers  of  the  mines  scarce 
ever  carried  any  thing  away  from  the  smelting- 
houses.  They  were  met  there  by  their  creditors, 
who  not  unfrequently  bore  off  the  whole  treasure 
of  the  debtor,  and  sent  him  to  prison  for  an  unpaid 
balance.  Indeed,  so  uncommon  was  a  different 
fate,  that  historians  have  recorded  the  name  of  a 
prudent  and  pious  miner,  who,  by  treating  his  In 
dians  well,  and  circumscribing  his  own  desires, 
was  enabled  to  take  home  with  him  the  product  of 
his  labours  in  marked  ingots.*  But  the  vast  for 
tunes  suddenly  acquired  by  others,  drew  new  ad 
venturers  to  America,  and  notwithstanding  the 
mortality  occasioned  by  a  change  of  climate,  food, 
and  habits  of  life,  the  colony  of  Hispaniola  con 
tinued  to  increase. f 

III.  The  administration  of  Ovando,  so  far  as  re 
garded  the  Spaniards,  was  wise  and  just.  Under 
his  care,  towns  speedily  grew  up  around  the  forts, 
seventeen  in  number,  distributed  through  every 
province  in  the  island ;  and  were  incorporated  by 
the  king.  The  Europeans  who  were  on  the  island 
at  the  time  of  his  arrival,  had  appropriated  to  them 
selves  the  female  relatives  of  the  Indian  chiefs  ; 
and  by  this  connexion  held  more  absolute  sway 
over  their  Indian  slaves.  At  the  instance  of  the 
clergy,  he  compelled  them  to  renounce  this  illicit 
intercourse,  by  parting  with  their  paramours,  or  to 
conform  to  Christian  morals,  by  wedding  them. 
The  Castilians  deemed  the  latter  disgraceful,  yet 
they  preferred  to  submit,  rather  than  lose  the  power 
which  they  exercised  in  right  of  these  women.  But 
Ovando,  jealous  of  rights  which  were  independent 
of  his  authority,  exchanged  the  Indians  thus  placed 

*  Herrera,  Dea  1. 1.  6.  c.  7.          t  Robertson's  America, 


CH.  1.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  11 

for  others,  who  were  held  during  his  pleasure  only. 
He  watched  vigilantly  over  the  deportment  of  the 
Spaniards,  seized  such  as  were  turbulent  or  disso 
lute,  and  shipped  them  for  Spain.  Thus,  by  the 
suppression  of  all  power  inconsistent  with  his  own, 
by  rewarding  the  obedient  and  removing  the  worth 
less,  he  established  the  reign  of  the  law,  which  he 
administered  with  promptitude,  firmness,  and  impar 
tiality.* 

IV.  The  efforts  of  Ovando  were  supported  by 
Ferdinand,  who,  in  the  daily  increase  of  revenue, 
found  the  great  value  of  the  discoveries  of  Colum 
bus.  Upon  his  return  to  Spain,  from  his  Italian 
dominions  in  1507,  he  established  and  enlarged  the 
India  House  at  Seville,  adding  new  offices,  and  in 
creasing  its  privileges  and  immunities.  He  ordain 
ed,  that  no  person  should  settle  in,  nor  any  goods 
be  exported  to,  America,  without  permission  of 
that  council ; — that  such  permission  should  be 
preferably  given  to  married  men  ;  and  that  settlers 
who  had  wives  in  Spain  should  send  for  them ; — 
that  marriage  should  be  encouraged  among  the  In 
dians,  and  among  such  negro  slaves  as  had  been 
transported  to  Hispaniola  ; — that  a  school  should 
be  maintained  at  his  expense  in  St.  Domingo, 
where  the  children  of  the  Caciques  should  be  in 
structed  ;  and  that  all  books  sent  over  should  be 
strictly  examined,  lest  profane  or  scandalous  ones 
should  corrupt  the  people.  He  gave  a  regular  form 
to  the  ecclesiastical  government,  the  pope  having 
granted  authority  for  erecting  an  archbishopric, 
bishoprics,  deaneries,  parishes,  and  other  spiritual 
divisions,  under  the  patronage  of  the  king  of  Spain. 
And  with  a  wisdom  rarely  pertaining  to  a  devoted 
son  of  the  church,  he  circumscribed  the  papal 
power  in  his  new  possessions,  by  reserving  to  the 

*  Herrera. 


12  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [cH.  1. 

crown  the  right  to  dispose  of  all  benefices  in 
America ;  stipulating,  also,  that  no  papal  mandate 
should  be  promulgated  there,  until  it  had  been  ap 
proved  by  his  council.  Tithes  were  established  for 
the  support  of  the  clergy,  and  adequate  means  were 
given  for  the  erection  of  churches ;  and  to  prevent 
the  inroads  of  heresy,  the  inquisition  extended 
here  its  terrible  powers.* 

V.  The  rapid  annihilation  of  the  Indian  race 
depriving  the  colonists  of  their  accustomed  instru 
ments  of  labour,  they  were  unable  to  extend  their 
improvements,  and  maintained  with  difficulty  the 
works  they  had  begun.  For  remedy  of  this,  Ovando 
proposed  to  transport  the  inhabitants  of  the  Lucayan 
islands  to  Hispaniola.  This  measure,  obviously  of 
barbarous  inhumanity,  and  a  violation  of  natural 
right,  was  not  without  a  specious  justification.  The 
natives  of  these  islands,  it  was  said,  would  be  more 
easily  civilized  and  instructed  in  religion,  if  united 
to  the  Spanish  colony,  and  placed  under  the  in 
spection  of  its  missionaries.  The  king  could  not 
be  deceived  as  to  the  real  motives  of  this  proposi 
tion,  yet  he  readily  gave  it  his  assent.  Vessels 
were  accordingly  fitted  out  for  the  Lucayos,  whose 
commanders,  now  acquainted  with  the  Indian  lan 
guage,  informed  the  natives,  that  they  came  from 
a  delightful  country,  in  which  their  ancestors  dwelt, 
for  the  purpose  of  conveying  them  thither,  to  par 
ticipate  in  scenes  of  never-ending  bliss.  A  belief 
in  a  future  state  was  common  among  the  Indians, 
and  rejoicing  in  the  prospect  of  partaking  the  hap 
piness  of  their  forefathers,  they  followed  the  Span 
iards  with  alacrity.  More  than  forty  thousand  were 
thus  betrayed  to  the  miseries  which  overwhelmed 
the  natives  of  Hayti,  whilst  their  betrayers  glorified 
themselves  in  the  simplicity  of  their  victims.f 

*  Herrcra.  t  Herrera,  Dec.  1. 1.  7.  c.  1. 


C».  1.]  SPANISH   DISCOVERIES.  13 

Peter  Martyr,  when  speaking  of  these  unfortu 
nates,  says,  "  Many  of  them  in  the  anguish  of 
despair  obstinately  refused  all  manner  of  subsist 
ence,  and  retiring  to  desert  caves  and  unfrequented 
woods,  silently  gave  up  the  ghost.  Others  repair 
ing  to  the  sea-coast,  on  the  northern  side  of  His- 
paniola,  cast  many  a  longing  look  towards  that  part 
of  the  ocean  where  they  suppose  their  own  islands 
to  be  situated ;  and  as  the  sea-breeze  rises,  they 
eagerly  inhale  it,  fondly  believing  that  it  has  lately 
visited  their  own  happy  valleys,  and  comes  fraught 
with  the  breath  of  those  they  love,  their  wives  and 
their  children.  With  this  idea,  they  continue  for 
hours  on  the  coast,  until  nature  becomes  utterly 
exhausted  ;  when,  stretching  out  their  arms  to 
wards  the  ocean,  as  if  to  take  a  last  embrace  of 
their  distant  country  and  relations,  they  sink  down 
and  expire  without  a  groan." — "One  of  the  Lu- 
cayans,"  continues  the  same  author,  "who  was 
more  desirous  of  life,  or  had  greater  courage  than 
most  of  his  countrymen,  took  upon  him  a  bold  and 
difficult  piece  of  work.  Having  been  used  to  build 
ing  cottages  in  his  native  country,  he  procured  in 
struments  of  stone,  and  cut  down  a  large  spongy 
tree,  called  Jamma,  (the  bombax  or  wild  cotton 
tree)  the  body  of  which  he  dexterously  scooped 
into  a  canoe.  He  then  provided  himself  with  some 
oars,  some  Indian  corn,  and  a  few  gourds  of  water, 
and  prevailed  on  another  man  and  a  woman  to  em 
bark  with  him  on  a  voyage  to  the  Lucayos  islands. 
Their  navigation  was  prosperous  for  near  two  hun 
dred  miles,  and  they  were  almost  in  sight  of  their 
own  long-lost  shores,  when  unfortunately  they  were 
met  by  a  Spanish  ship,  which  brought  them  back 
to  slavery  and  sorrow.  The  canoe  is  still  preserved 
in  Hispaniola  as  a  singular  curiosity,  considering 
the  circumstances  under  which  it  was  made."* 
*  Decade,  7. 

VOL.  II,  B 


14  HISTORY    OF    A3IERICA.  [CH.  1* 

VI.  The  rich  returns  from  Hispaniola,  induced 
Ferdinand  to  bestow  his  attention  upon  projects  of 
further  discovery  and  improvement.  Of  the  former 
we  shall  hereafter  treat,  but  will  notice  here  the 
progress  of  affairs  at  Hispaniola,  and  the  settle 
ment  of  the  neighbouring  islands.  Whilst  encour 
aging  various  attempts  for  the  exploration  of  the 
continent,  the  king  commanded  Ovando  to  procure 
more  certain  and  authentic  information  relative  to 
his  immediate  vicinity.  The  governor  accordingly 
dispatched  Sebastian  de  Ocampo,  to  determine 
whether  Cuba  were  an  island,  or  part  of  the  conti 
nent,  as  Columbus  had  erroneously  supposed. 
Ocampo  employed  eight  months  in  this  service  ; 
during  which  he  circumnavigated  the  island,  land 
ing  at  various  points  to  survey  the  country.  He 
careened  his  vessels  in  the  admirable  port  of  the 
Havana,  thence  called  Porto  de  Carenas  ;  and  spent 
considerable  time  in  the  large  and  safe  port  of 
Xagua,  where  he  was  supplied  with  abundance  of 
quails  and  fish ;  the  latter  taken  in  weirs  of  cane, 
which  were  sufficient  in  this  placid  harbour.  In 
the  mean  time,  John  Ponce  de  Leon,  commandant 
of  the  province  of  Higuey,  having  learned  that 
gold  was  abundant  in  the  island  of  Borriquen,  since 
known  as  St.  John  de  Porto  Rico,  obtained  permis 
sion  from  Ovando  to  explore  it.  No  attempt  had 
been  hitherto  made  for  this  purpose,  although  it  lay 
within  sight  of  Hispaniola,  at  twelve  or  fifteen 
leagues  distance.  The  island  is  chiefly  composed 
of  high  mountains.  Its  valleys  are  fertile,  and  in 
the  streams  which  watered  them,  gold  was  found, 
little  inferior  to  that  of  San  Domingo.  It  is  in 
length  about  forty,  and  in  breadth  fifteen  or  sixteen 
leagues.  Leon  was  favourably  received  by  the  na 
tives,  who  provided  cheerfully  for  a  small  colony 
which  he  left  there.  The  government  of  this  island 
had  been  given  by  the  king  to  a  cavalier,  named 


CH.  1.]  SPANISH  DISCOVERIES.  15 

Christoval  de  Sotomayor ;  but  after  the  arrival  of 
Don  Diego  Columbus  in  the  Indies,  he  sent  over 
additional  settlers,  and  appointed  Juan  Ceron  lieu 
tenant  governor,  and  Miguel  Diaz  a  servant  of  his 
uncle  Bartholomew,  his  alcade.  Ponce  de  Leon 
also  established  himself  upon  the  island  with  his 
family,  and  on  the  recommendation  of  his  patron 
Ovando,  was  soon  after  appointed  governor,  by  a 
commission  which  made  him  independent  of  the 
admiral.  He  arrested  Ceron  and  Diaz  on  some 
frivolous  pretence,  and  sent  them  to  Spain,  to  ren 
der  an  account  of  their  administration  to  the  king. 
But  the  representations  of  Columbus  induced  the 
monarch  to  restore  them  to  their  offices ;  charging 
them,  however,  to  treat  Leon  with  favour  and 
distinction.  When  their  numbers  had  increased, 
the  conduct  of  the  Spaniards  towards  the  Indians 
assumed  here  the  same  complexion  as  in  Hispan- 
iola.  An  attempt  of  the  natives  to  free  themselves 
from  the  yoke,  was  called  rebellion,  and  was  pun 
ished  with  the  usual  excesses.  The  oppressed  In 
dians  called  the  Caribs,  their  former  enemies,  to 
their  assistance.  The  latter  promptly  obeyed,  but 
their  courage  availed  not.  The  Spaniards,  under 
the  conduct  of  Leon,  aided  by  their  dogs,  with 
little  difficulty  and  slight  loss,  reduced  them  to  sub 
mission.* 

VII.  Since  the  death  of  the  first  admiral,  his  heir 
had  not  ceased  to  solicit  the  restoration  of  his  rights. 

*  The  Spanish  historians  have  preserved  the  name  of  a  dog, 
Bezeritto,  who  was  much  distinguished  in  this  species  of  warfare; 
and  whose  master  drew  for  his  services  a  soldier's  full  share  of 
boot}',  whether  of  gold,  slaves,  or  other  things.  So  much  was  this 
animal  dreaded  by  the  Indians,  that  they  had  greater  fear  of  ten 
Spaniards  supported  by  him,  than  of  a  hundred  without  him.  The 
progeny  of  this  blood-hound  was  highly  prized  by  the  Conquista- 
dores,  and  one  of  his  whelps,  carried  by  Nunez  to  the  continent, 
did  not  by  want  of  ferocity  disgrace  his  sire.  See  Herrera,  Dec.  1. 
lib.  8,  c.  13. 


16  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [CH.    1. 

But  the  reasons  which  had  induced  the  king  to  re 
sist  the  claims  of  justice  and  gratitude  on  the  part 
of  the  father,  were  equally  powerful  against  the 
pretensions  of  the  son.  After  two  years'  importu 
nity,  he  at  length  obtained  permission  to  institute 
a  suit  against  the  king  before  the  council  of  the  In 
dies.  This  court,  with  honorable  independence, 
gave  judgment  at  various  times  in  his  favor  on  every 
point  of  his  demand.  It  is  probable  that  their  decision 
alone  upon  matters  which  had  never  been  doubtful, 
would  not  have  changed  the  policy  of  the  king;  but 
it  gave  the  admiral  the  means  of  acquiring  irresisti 
ble  influence.  By  the  first  judgment  of  the  council, 
his  title  to  exalted  rank  and  immense  wealth  was  pub 
licly  established,  and  justified  him  in  seeking  an 
alliance  with  the  most  distinguished  subjects  of  the 
realm.  He  married  Donna  Maria,  daughter  of  Don 
Ferdinand  de  Toledo,  grand  commentador  of  Leon, 
brother  of  the  duke  of  Alva,  and  cousin-german  to 
the  king.  Thus  it  became  the  interest  of  this  pow 
erful  family  to  support  the  claims  of  the  admiral, 
and  Ferdinand  could  not  entirely  resist  their  solici 
tations.  But  whilst  he  appointed  Diego  governor 
of  Hispaniola,  as  a  favor,  he  refused  him  the  title 
and  authority  of  viceroy,  which  had  been  adjudged 
to  him.* 

VIII.  The  admiral  was  accompanied  to  Hispan- 
iolaf  by  his  wife,  who  was  honoured  by  the  courtesy 
and  justice  of  her  countrymen  with  the  title  of  vice- 
queen  ; — by  his  brother,  and  his  uncles,  and  by  a 
numerous  retinue  of  both  sexes,  among  whom  were 
some  maidens  of  quality,  who  probably  went  forth 
to  seek,  and  who  found,  husbands,  among  the  most 
distinguished  men  of  the  Indies.  The  arrival  of 
Don  Diego  introduced  into  Hispaniola  a  magnifi 
cence  hitherto  unknown  ;  and  his  attendants,  differ- 

*  Herrera,  Dec.  1.  lib.  7.  t  July,  1509. 


CH.  1.]  SPANISH   DISCOVERIES.  17 

ing  in  rank  and  character  greatly  from  most  of  those 
who  had  hitherto  emigrated  to  the  new  world,  gave 
stability  and  lustre  to  the  colony;  and  from  them 
the  most  distinguished  families  of  Spanish  America 
are  descended. 

IX.  The  instructions  of  the  king  displayed  great 
regard  for  the  religious  improvement  and  spiritual 
welfare  of  the  Indians,  though  little  for  their  tem 
poral  happiness.     He  confirmed  the  iniquitous  re- 
partimientos,  and  formed  them  into  a  regular  system, 
by  which  the  Indians  were  distributed  into  numer 
ical  allotments  proportioned  to  the  rank  of  their 
masters.  To  each  officer  appointed  by  the  king,  one 
hundred  were  given  ;  to  a  married  knight,  eighty  ; 
to  a  married  squire,  seventy ;  and  to  a  wedded  la 
bourer,  thirty.    To  the  grant  was  annexed  a  condi 
tion,  that  the  masters  should  instruct  their  slaves 
in  the  faith,  and  pay  for  each,  to  the  public  treasury, 
an  annual  tribute  of  a  peso  of  gold.     The  waste 
of  human  life  under  this  system  was  foreseen,  and 
provision  made  for  it,  by  permission  to  import  slaves 
from  other  islands.     Immediately  after  the  arrival 
of  Don  Diego  at  Hispaniola,  he  distributed  such 
Indians  as  were   then   unappropriated  among  his 
relatives  and  attendants. 

X.  The  island  of  Cubagua,  where  Columbus  in 
his  third  voyage  obtained  the  first  pearls,  found  by 
him  in  America,  small,  barren,  and  almost  desti 
tute  of  wood  and  water,  was  valuable  to  the  crown, 
and  attracted  the  attention  of  the  king,  by  its  pearl 
fishery.     The  inhabitants  of  Hispaniola  drew  from 
this  source  considerable  wealth,  employing  the  In 
dians  of  the  Lucayan  isles  in  the  fishery.     In  this, 
as  in  almost  every  other  labour,  the  workmen  were 
overwrought,  and  prematurely  destroyed.     By  the 
command  of  the   kino",  Don  Diego  established  a 
colony  here,  for  the  more  regular  and  successful 
prosecution  of  the  fishery.     The  royal  Quint,  or 

B2 


18  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [cH.  1. 

fifth,  amounted  to  fifteen  thousand  ducats,  which, 
according  to  the  value  of  the  metals  at  this  time, 
was  a  considerabla.sum.  Until  1530,  the  value  of 
the  pearls  sent  to  Europe,  on  a  yearly  average,  ex 
ceeded  eight  hundred  thousand  dollars,  being  nearly 
one-half  of  the  whole  produce  of  the  mines  of 
America  at  that  period.*  Pearls  were  so  much  the 
more  sought  after,  as  the  luxury  of  Asia  had  been 
introduced  into  Europe  by  two  ways  diametrically 
opposite  ;  that  of  Constantinople,  where  the  Pala3- 
ogi  wore  garments  covered  with  strings  of  pearls ; 
and  that  of  Grenada,  the  residence  of  the  Moorish 
kings,  who  displayed  at  their  court  all  the  splen 
dour  of  the  East.  The  pearls  of  the  East  Indies 
were  preferred  to  those  of  the  West ;  but  the  num 
ber  of  the  latter,  which  circulated  in  commerce, 
was  not  less  considerable,  in  the  times  which  im 
mediately  followed  the  discovery  of  America.  In 
Italy,  as  well  as  in  Spain,  the  islet  of  Cubagua  be 
came  the  object  of  numerous  mercantile  specula 
tions,  f 

But  this  fishery  diminished  rapidly  toward  the 
end  of  the  sixteenth  century,  and  had  long  ceased 
before  16834  The  industry  of  the  Venetians,  who 
imitated  fine  pearls  with  great  exactness,  and  the 
frequent  use  of  cut  diamonds, §  rendered  it  less 
lucrative.  At  the  same  time,  the  oysters  which 
yielded  the  pearls  became  scarce,  not,  as  it  is  be 
lieved,  from  popular  tradition,  that,  frightened  by 
the  noise  of  the  oars,  they  conveyed  themselves 
elsewhere  ;  but  because  their  propagation  had  been 
prevented  by  the  wasteful  destruction  of  the  shells. 

*  The  mines  did  not  then  furnish  more  than  two  millions  of 
piastres. 

t  Humboldt's  Personal  Narrative,  2  vol.  p.  279. 

J  De  Laet.  Nov.  Orbis,  p.  669. 

$  The  cutting  of  diamonds  was  invented  by  Lewis  de  Berquen, 
in  1456,  but  it  became  common  only  in  the  following  century. 


CH.  1.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  19 

At  the  isle  of  Ceylon,  where,  in  the  bay  of  Con- 
deatchy,  the  fishery  employs  six  hundred  divers, 
and  where  the  annual  produce^  is  more  than  a  mil 
lion  of  dollars,  it  has  vainly  been  attempted  to 
transplant  the  animals  to  other  parts  of  the  coast. 
The  government  permits  fishing  there  only  during  a 
single  month,  while  at  Cubagua  the  fishery  was 
prosecuted  at  all  seasons.  To  form  an  idea  of  the 
destruction  of  the  oysters,  we  must  remember  that 
a  boat  sometimes  collects  in  two  or  three  weeks 
more  than  thirty-five  thousand.  The  animal  lives 
but  nine  or  ten  years  ;  and  it  is  only  in  its 
fourth  year  that  the  pearls  begin  to  show  them 
selves.  In  ten  thousand  shells,  there  is  often  not 
a  single  pearl  of  value.  At  present,Spanish  America 
furnishes  no  other  pearls  for  trade  than  those  of 
the  gulf  of  Panama,  and  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  de 
la  Hacha.* 

XL  In  the  grant  made  by  the  king  of  several 
portions  of  Terra  Firma  to  Ojeda  and  Nicuesa, 
he  had  annexed  the  island  of  Jamaica  as  a  joint 
appendage,  for  the  purpose  of  supplying  them  with 
provisions.  This  was  in  direct  violation  of  the 
rights  of  Columbus,  and  though  he  dared  not 
openly  contravene  the  designs  of  these  adventu 
rers,  he  discouraged  their  expedition  to  the  conti 
nent  ,-  and  contemning  some  vapourous  threats  of 
Ojeda,  possessed  himself  of  Jamaica.  He  dis 
patched  Don  Juan  de  Esquibel  thither  with  seventy 
men,  who  laid  the  foundations  of  the  first  colony 
in  this  island. f 

The  conquest  of  the  island  was  effected  without 
much  difficulty,  and,  in  the  language  of  Herrera, 
without  a  profusion  of  blood  ; \  and  the  Indians  were 

*  Humboldt's  Personal  Narrative,  2  vol.  p.  280. 

t  1510,  A.  D.    Herrera. 

\  Sin  derramamiento  de  sangre. 


20  HISTORY    OF   AMERICA.  [ell.  1. 

successfully  employed  in  the  culture  of  cotton,  and 
other  labours  of  agriculture.  So  prudent  and  pros 
perous  was  the  conduct  of  Esquibel,  that  the  ad 
miral  recommended*  him  to  the  notice  of  the  king, 
so  earnestly  indeed,  that  the  jealous  monarch  sus 
pected  some  sinister  design,  and  gave  instructions 
to  Passamonte,  his  treasurer  at  San  Domingo,  to 
inquire  who  Esquibel  was,  and  what  might  be  his 
intentions.* 

XII.  In  the  following  year,  151  l,f  Don  Diego  also 
commenced  the  colonization  of  Cuba.  He  confided 
this  enterprize  to  Diego  Valasquez,  who  had  ac 
companied  his  father  on  his  second  voyage,  and 
had  been  long  established  in  Xaragua,  where  he 
had  acquired  a  large  fortune,  and  a  high  character 
for  prudence,  probity,  and  humanity.  He  embarked 
with  three  hundred  men  only.  The  distance  from 
Hispaniola  to  Cuba  being  not  more  than  eighteen 
leagues,  many  of  the  oppressed  natives  of  the  for 
mer  had  escaped  thither.  Among  these  was  the 
Cacique  Hatuey,  who  had  raised  himself  to  a  dis- , 
tinguished  command  in  his  adopted  country,  which 
he  prepared  to  defend  against  the  invader.  He  as 
sembled  his  people,  reminded  them  of  the  suffer 
ings  which  the  Spaniards  had  inflicted,  and  declared 
that  their  crimes  were  offerings  to  the  God  whom 
they  loved  and  worshipped.  "This,"  said  he,  pro 
ducing  a  piece  of  gold,  "  is  the  God  whom  they 
worship.  They  come  hither  only  to  seek  him.  Let 
us  too  worship  this  God,  in  order  that  he  may  grant 
us  his  protection.  But  let  us  not  keep  him  amongst 
us,  but  cast  him  into  the  sea ;  for,  should  we  se 
crete  him  in  our  bowels,  the  Spaniards  would  drag 
him  thence."  At  the  conclusion  of  his  speech, 
the  Indians  commenced  a  religious  song  and  dance, 

*  Herrera,  Dec.  1.  lib.  ix.  c.  5.  t  November. 


CH.  1.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  21 

which  they  closed  by  casting  the  piece  of  gold  into 
the  ocean.* 

But  this  mystical  devotion  to  the  supposed  God 
of  the  Christians,  did  not  avert  their  approach. 
Hatuey  boldly  met  Valasquez  on  the  shore,  and 
vainly  strove  to  drive  him  back  to  his  ships.  Com 
pelled  to  retire  into  the  woods,  he  maintained  a  de 
sultory  warfare  of  several  months'  continuance,  in 
which  many  of  his  people  were  slain,  and  many 
captured  and  distributed  as  slaves  among  the  in 
vaders.  At  length,  he  was  also  made  prisoner ;  and 
Valasquez  considering  him  as  a  slave  who  had  fled 
from  labour  and  taken  arms  against  his  master,  con 
demned  him  to  be  burned  to  death.  When  at  the 
stake,  a  Franciscan  friar,  labouring  to  convert  him, 
promised  him  immediate  admittance  to  the  joys  of 
heaven,  if  he  would  embrace  the  Christian  faith. 
Hatuey  asked,  "  Are  there  any  Spaniards  in  the 
happy  country  of  which  you  speak  ?"  "  Yes,"  re 
plied  the  monk,  "  but  only  such  as  are  worthy  and 
good."  "  The  best  of  them,"  returned  the  indig 
nant  chief,  "  have  neither  worth  nor  goodness.  I 
will  not  go  to  a  place  where  I  may  meet  one  of  the 
accursed  race."  This  dreadful  severity  induced 
the  immediate  submission  of  the  district  of  Mansi, 
over  which  the  Cacique  had  ruled.* 

In  the  progress  of  his  enterprize,  Valasquez  re 
ceived  considerable  aid  from  the  settlers  of  Jamaica, 
particularly  from  Panfilo  de  Narvez,  who  joined 
him  with  a  band  of  thirty  archers."!"  Having  made 
him  his  lieutenant,  he  employed  him  in  various  in 
cursions  in  the  interior  of  the  island,  whilst  he  was 
himself  engaged  in  founding  the  town  of  Baracoa, 
the  first  Spanish  settlement  of  Cuba.  In  one  of 
these  excursions,  we  have  a  striking  illustration  of 
the  weakness  and  timidity  of  the  Indian  character. 

*  Herrera.  t  A.  D.  1512. 


22  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [dl.  1. 

Mounted  on  horseback  at  the  head  of  his  archers, 
Narvez  was  everywhere  received  with  astonish 
ment,  awe,  and  submission.  At  one  town  only, 
were  hostilities  attempted.  Here,  nearly  seven 
thousand  Indians  had  assembled,  who,  presuming 
on  the  vast  disparity  of  the  Spanish  force,  and  stim 
ulated  by  a  desire  to  possess  the  Spanish  garments 
and  weapons,  made  a  night  attack  upon  the  little 
party.  The  commander  was  wounded  and  pros 
trated  by  a  stone ;  but  recovering  himself,  he 
mounted  his  horse  in  his  shirt,  attached  some  bells 
to  the  crupper,  and  sallied  forth  against  the  enemy. 
But,  terrified  by  the  sight  of  the  horse,  the  sound 
of  the  bells,  and  the  boldness  of  the  rider,  the  In 
dians  fled  ;  and  in  dread  of  punishment  abandoned 
their  province,  seeking  refuge  at  fifty  leagues'  dis 
tance.  It  is  grateful  to  add,  that,  at  the  instance 
of  the  benevolent  Las  Casas,  who  accompanied  the 
expedition,  the  fugitives  were  forgiven,  and  permit 
ted  to  return  to  their  homes. 

The  force  of  Narvez  was  subsequently  increased 
to  a  hundred  men,  with  whom  he  traversed  and 
reduced  the  whole  island.  For  this  easy  and  al 
most  bloodless  victory  he  was  indebted  to  the  good 
Las  Casas,  whose  kindness  merited  and  obtained* 
the  confidence  of  the  natives.  He  was  their  in 
structor,  friend,  and  patron.  During  the  march  of 
the  army,  he  prevented  irritating  collisions  with 
the  Indians,  by  requiring  them  to  appropriate  a 
part  of  their  villages  to  the  use  of  the  soldiers,  who 
were  forbidden,  under  pain  of  death,  to  invade  the 
Indian  quarter.  What  a  contrast  does  this  story 
present  with  the  horrors  of  the  progress  of  Marga- 
ritte  in  Hispaniola !  and  how  much  reason  does  it 
not  give  to  regret,  that  the  noble  enterprize,  cour 
age,  and  fortitude  of  the  Spanish  adventurers  were 
not  always  directed  by  like  wisdom  and  humanity ! 
To  enforce  the  obedience  of  the  simple  natives,  no 


CH.  1.]  SPANISH    DISCO  VERIEST  23 

other  means  were  necessary  than  to  threaten  them 
with  the  displeasure  of  their  good  father.  During 
the  progress  of  Narvez,  which  occupied  the  greater 
part  of  two  years,  one  instance  of  barbarity  only  is 
recorded.  At  the  village  of  Caonao,  above  two 
thousand  Indians,  assembled  in  the  public  square, 
were  sitting  upon  their  hams  viewing  the  Spanish 
horses  with  fear  and  admiration,  when  one  of  the 
soldiers  suddenly  drew  his  sword,  and  the  others, 
either  from  wantonness  or  panic,  or  from  that  inde 
scribable  sympathy  which  governs  our  actions,  fol 
lowed  his  example,  and  fell  upon  the  Indians^ 
wounding  many,  before  Las  Casas  or  their  com 
mander  could  effectually  interfere.* 

Valasquez  adopted  the  same  policy  towards  the 
Indians  which  had  been  established  in  Hispaniola. 
Repartimientos  were  made  among  the  Conquista^ 
dores  or  conquerors,  as  they  styled  themselves,  and 
the  slaves  were  compelled  to  labour  in  the  mines, 
or  on  the  plantations,  at  the  will  of  their  masters. 
Gold  was  gathered  in  considerable  quantities ;  nor 
were  the  more  profitable  and  certain  sources  of 
wealth  and  comfort  neglected.  Agriculture  and 
the  necessary  mechanic  arts  were  encouraged  ;  and 
before  the  expiration  of  three  years  from  his  land 
ing,  Valasquez  had  established  seven  Spanish 
towns,  of  which  Baracoa,  St.  Jago,  and  Havana 
were  the  principal.  Uninterrupted  prosperity  wait 
ed  on  his  administration,  and  riches  were  showered 
in  abundance  upon  him.  They  served,  however, 
but  to  excite  his  ambition,  and  to  stimulate  him  to 
throw  off  the  authority  of  his  superiors;  a  vice 
which  was  common  with  the  adventurers  to  America, 
from  the  first  voyage  of  the  discoverer.  Valasquez 
became  impatient  of  the  light  control  of  the  admi 
ral,  and  sought  to  obtain  an  independent  commis 
sion  from  the  king.* 

*  Herrera. 


24  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [cH.  1. 

XIII.  In  consequence  of  the  reappointment  of 
Ceron  and  Diaz  to  the  government  of  Porto  Rico, 
Ponce  de  Leon,  thrown  out  of  employment,  sought 
to  engage  himself  in  new  enterprizes.     Having  re 
ceived  information  of  lands  to  the  northward,  he 
resolved  to  attempt  discovery  in  that  direction.  He 
equipped  and  manned  three  vessels,*  and  proceed 
ed,  by  way  of  the  Lucayan  and  Bahama  islands, 
touching  occasionally,  to  Guanahani,  or  St.  Salva 
dor,   the    first    island    discovered    by    Columbus. 
Thence,  steering  northwest,  he  arrived,  on  the  27th 
of  March,  being  Easter-day,  at  a  country  hitherto 
unknown  to  the  Spaniards,  in  30°  8'  N.  L.,  to  which 
he  gave  the  name  of  Florida,  because  of  its  ver 
dant  appearance,  and  that  it  was  first  seen  on  Palm 
Sunday.     He  followed  the  shore  to  the  southward 
a  considerable  distance  beyond  Cape  Florida,  which 
he  called  El  Cabo  de  Corrientes,  having  a  clean 
coast,  but  struggling  with  the  current  of  the  Gulf 
stream,  which  was  now,  for  the  first  time,  observed 
by  Europeans.     The   natives   everywhere   proved 
hostile ;  resisting  all  attempts  of  the  Spaniards  to 
land,  and  combating  them  when  they  forced  their 
way  to  shore.     In  these  conflicts,  several  Indians 
were  killed,  and  some  made  captive,  who  were  taken 
to  Hispaniola.     But  these  injuries  were  not  wholly 
unavenged ;  one  Spaniard,  at  least,  falling  by  the 
hands  of  the  injured.     Leon  fell  in  with,  and  gave 
name  to,  the  Martyr  and  Dry  Tortugas  islands; 
naming  the  latter  from  the  abundance  of  turtle 
which  he  found  upon  them. 

XIV.  To  his  present  enterprize,  Leon  was  ex 
cited  by  the  love  of  fame  and  wealth ;  and  also  by 
the  hope  of  discovering  the  isle  of  Bimini,  and  its 
miraculous  fountain,  whose  waters  renewed    the 
youth  and  restored  the  vigour  of  all  who  bathed  in 

*  A.  D.  1512.   March  3. 


CH.  1.]  SPANISH   DISCOVERIES.  25 

them.  He  ranged  the  Bahama  islands  for  some 
days,  in  quest  of  the  land  containing  this  wonderful 
spring ;  but  finally  abandoned  the  search,  and  re 
turned  to  Porto  Rico  ;  first  dispatching  one  of  his 
vessels  under  Perez  de  Ortubia,  and  the  pilot  An 
tonio  de  Alarninos,  to  prosecute  the  inquiry.  They 
succeeded  in  discovering  the  island  of  Bimini, 
which  was  large,  pleasant,  and  abounding  in  de 
lightful  groves  and  streams ;  but,  alas !  the  foun 
tain  of  rejuvenescence  is  yet  undiscovered.  His 
torians  have  expressed  surprize,  that  so  wild  an 
imagination  should  be  found  among  rational  and 
enlightened  men.  But  do  we  not  entertain  at  this 
day  opinions  as  little  supported  by  truth  and  phi 
losophy?  At  the  commencement  of  the  16th  cen 
tury,  the  pursuit  of  the  Philosopher's  Stone,  and 
the  Elixir  of  Life,  was  eagerly  followed  by  the  de 
votees  of  science ;  and  we  may  allow  to  the  bold 
and  illiterate  adventurers  of  the  New  World,  the 
belief,  that  nature  might  produce  there  the  waters 
of  youth,  as  she  did  the  veins  of  gold  that  mingled 
with  the  soil.  The  beneficial  results  of  this  voy 
age  were,  a  more  extended  knowledge  of  the  Ba 
hama  chain  of  islands  and  their  many  currents,  the 
discovery  of  Florida,  then  and  long  after  supposed 
to  be  an  island,  and  of  the  great  Bahama  channel, 
through  which  a  short  passage  was  subsequently 
found  from  the  coast  of  Darien  to  Europe.  Leon 
entertained  so  high  an  opinion  of  his  services,  that 
he  repaired  to  court,  to  solicit  a  reward  for  his  la 
bours  from  the  king.* 

Ferdinand  bestowed  upon  him  the  title  of  Ade- 
lantado  of  the  island  of  Bimini  and  of  Florida.  But 
Leon  did  not  immediately  make  an  attempt  to  set- 
tie  the  countries  thus  assigned.  In  1514,  the  king 
gave  him  the  command  of  three  ships  fitted  out  in 

*  Herrera,  Decade  1,  lib.  ix.  ch.  xi. 
VOL.  II.  C 


26  HISTORY    OF   AMERICA.  [CH.  1. 

Seville,  destined  to  scour  the  Carib  islands,  and  free 
the  seas  of  Caribbean  marauders.  He  seems  not  to 
have  conducted  this  enterprize  with  due  skill  and 
judgment,  having  suffered  himself  to  be  surprized 
by  the  enemy  whilst  engaged  in  taking  in  wood 
and  water  at  Guadaloupe,  when  many  of  his  party 
were  slain,  and  some  women,  who  had  been  landed 
from  the  ships,  were  carried  off  to  the  mountains. 
Humbled  by  this  blow,  he  abandoned  the  enter- 
prize  to  a  captain  named  Zuniga,  and  retired  to 
the  government  of  Porto  Rico,  where  he  remained 
inactive,  until  the  splendid  success  of  Cortes  and 
the  discovery  that  Florida  was  part  of  the  continent 
roused  him  to  action.  Emulous  of  the  exploits  of 
that  renowned  commander,  he  sailed,  in  1521,  with 
two  vessels,  in  which  he  ventured  his  whole  for 
tune,  for  his  government  of  Florida.  His  invasion 
was  boldly  and  successfully  repelled;  and  being 
himself  wounded  by  an  arrow  in  the  thigh,  he  sailed 
to  Cuba,  where  he  soon  after  died.* 

XV.  Although  Ferdinand  had  been  prevailed  on 
to  commit  the  government  of  the  Indies  to  Don 
Diego  Columbus,  he  never  gave  him  his  confidence^ 
believing  him  as  much  disposed,  as  he  was  interest 
ed,  to  assume  the  rights  of  his  father.  The  subor 
dinate  officers  of  the  admiral's  government,  espe 
cially  those  immediately  dependent  upon  the  king, 
at  the  head  of  whom  was  Miguel  de  Passamonte, 
the  royal  treasurer,  fomented  this  jealousy,  inso 
much  that  the  king  summoned  the  Adelantado, 
Bartholomew  Columbus,  for  the  purpose  of  advising 
with  him  on  the  reports  which  the  disaffected  had 
made  against  his  nephew.f  Having  rewarded  his 
zeal  and  devotion  by  the  grant  of  the  small  island 
of  J\Ioua4  and  a  further  donation  of  two  hundred 

*  Ilerrera.  Irving.  Voyages  of  the  companions  of  Columbus. 

t  A.  D.  1511.  Herrera,  Dec.  1.  lib.  ix.  ch.  5. 

J  Situated  between  the  islands  oi'  liispaniola  and  Porto  Rico 


CH.  1.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  27 

Indians  in  Hispaniola,  he  commanded  his  return 
with  particular  instructions  to  the  admiral  for  his 
public  and  private  conduct.  Don  Diego  wanted 
neither  inclination  nor  ability  to  administer  his 
government  wisely  ;  nor  is  there  any  evidence  that 
he  sought  more  power  than  justly  pertained  to  his 
commission.  Still  the  inveterate  jealousy  of  the 
king  circumscribed  all  his  operations.  The  declin 
ing  age  of  Ferdinand  devolved  the  affairs  of  the 
Indies  chiefly  upon  Fonseca  and  the  commander 
Lopez  de  Conchillos.  These  ministers  readily  lent 
themselves  to  the  jealousy  of  their  master,  and  de 
lighted  to  reduce  the  power  of  a  subject  so  great 
as  the  admiral,  whose  wealth  and  influence,  in  the 
full  enjoyment  of  his  rights,  would  have  awed  the 
sovereign,  and  overshadowed  his  courtiers.  The 
treasurer,  Passamonte,  who  was  a  favorite  of  Fon 
seca,  was  encouraged  to  resist  the  commands  of  the 
governor.  He  gathered  under  his  direction  the 
remnant  of  Roldan's  conspirators,  and  others,  who 
made  a  party  sufficiently  strong  to  perplex  the  ad 
ministration.  By  their  intrigues,  the  appellate  ju 
dicial  power  which  belonged  to  his  office  was  trans 
ferred  to  judges  of  appeal  specially  appointed  ; 
and,  finally,  the  power  of  making  repartimientos, 
the  most  valuable  he  possessed,  was  taken  away 
from  him.  To  effect  this,  the  king  created  a  new 
office,  called  Repartidor  de  los  Indios,*  bestowing 
it  upon  Rodrigo  Albuquerque,  a  relative  of  Zapata, 
his  confidential  minister.  Indignant  at  a  measure 
alike  unjust  and  humiliating,  Don  Diego  resolved 
to  return  to  Spain,  vainly  believing  that  his  pres 
ence  would  procure  redress. f  Albuquerque  ad 
ministered  this  office  solely  with  a  view  to  his 
own  emolument.  By  a  census  of  the  Indians,  it 
appeared  that  their  number,  which,  in  1508,  had 

*  Distributor  of  the  Indians.  t  A.  D.  1514. 


28  HISTORY    OF   AMERICA.  [cH.  1 . 

amounted  to  sixty  thousand,  had  been  reduced  to 
fourteen  thousand.  These  he  divided  into  lots,  and 
sold  them  to  the  highest  bidder ;  a  method  of  dis 
tribution  which  cruelly  broke  the  ties  of  affection 
and  vicinage,  and  added  greatly  to  the  sufferings 
of  this  devoted  race  ;  whilst  the  heavier  burthens 
and  more  intolerable  labours  imposed  by  new  mas 
ters,  completed  its  misery  and  hastened  its  extinc 
tion.* 

XVI.  The  violence  of  these  proceedings,  with 
their  fatal  consequences,  excited  complaints  from 
the  aggrieved,  and  the  commiseration  of  the  hu 
mane.  From  the  time  that  ecclesiastics  had  been 
sent  to  America,  they  perceived  that  the  rigour 
with  which  their  countrymen  treated  the  natives, 
rendered  their  ministry  fruitless.  In  conformity  to 
the  mild  spirit  of  their  religion,  they  early  remon 
strated  against  the  maxims  of  the  planters,  and 
condemned  the  repartimientos,  as  contrary  to  natu 
ral  justice,  the  precepts  of  Christianity,  and  sound 
policy.  The  Dominicans,  to  whom  the  instruction 
of  the  Americans  was  originally  committed,  were 
most  vehement  in  testifying  against  the  repartimi- 
entos.  In  the  year  1511,  Montesino,  one  of  their 
most  eminent  preachers,  inveighed  against  this 
practice,  in  the  great  church  at  St.  Domingo,  with 
the  vehemence  of  popular  eloquence.  Don  Diego 
Columbus,  the  principal  officers  of  the  colony,  and 
the  laymen,  who  had  been  his  hearers,  complained 
of  the  monk  to  his  superiors ;  but  they,  instead  of 
condemning,  applauded  his  doctrine,  as  alike  ser 
viceable  to  God  and  the  king.  The  Franciscans, 
the  rivals  of  the  Dominicans,  were  inclined  to  take 
part  with  the  laity,  and  to  defend  the  repartimien- 
tos.  But,  as  they  could  not  with  decency  give  their 
avowed  approbation  to  a  system  of  oppression  so 

*  Herrera,  Dec.  1.  lib.  9, 10.    1  Robertson's  Am.  197, 198. 


CH.  1.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  29 

repugnant  to  the  spirit  of  religion,  they  endeavoured 
to  palliate  what  they  could  not  justify ;  alleging,  in 
excuse  for  the  conduct  of  their  countrymen,  that  it 
was  not  possible  to  carry  on  any  improvement  in  the 
colony,  unless  the  Spaniards  had  such  dominion 
over  the  natives,  that  they  could  compel  them  to 
labour.* 

XVII.  This  opposition,  so  far  from  inducing  the 
Dominicans  to  relax  in  their  measures,  incited 
them  to  take  a  more  lofty  position.  They  declared 
the  slavery  of  the  Indians  a  grievous  sin,  and  re 
fused  to  absolve,  or  admit  to  the  sacrament,  such  of 
their  countrymen  as  continued  to  hold  the  natives 
in  servitude.  Both  parties  applied  to  the  king,  and 
sent  deputies  to  support  their  respective  opinions. 
Ferdinand  referred  the  important  subject  to  a  com 
mittee  of  his  privy-council,  assisted  by  the  most 
eminent  civilians  and  divines  of  Spain.  After  a 
long  discussion,  the  speculative  point  in  controver 
sy  was  determined  in  favour  of  the  Dominicans ; 
the  Indians  were  declared  to  be  a  free  people,  and 
entitled  to  all  the  natural  rights  of  men.  But,  not 
withstanding  this  decision,  the  repartimientos  were 
not  discontinued.  Yet,  as  the  report  of  the  commit 
tee  settled  the  principle  for  which  the  Dominicans 
contended,  they  renewed  their  efforts  to  obtain  re 
lief  for  the  Indians  with  additional  boldness  and 
zeal,  which  alarmed  the  planters,  and  disturbed 
the  quiet  of  the  colony.  At  length  Ferdinand  is 
sued  a  decree  of  his  privy -council,"]"  delaring — that, 
after  mature  consideration  of  the  apostolic  bull,  and 
other  titles,  by  which  the  crown  of  Castile  claimed 
its  possessions  in  the  new  world,  the  servitude  of 
the  Indians  was  warranted  by  the  laws  both  of  God 
and  man — that,  unless  they  were  subjected  to  the 

*  Herrera,  Dec.  1.  lib.  8.  c.  11.    Oviedo,  lib.  iii.  c.  6.  p.  97.    1 
Robert.  Am.  p.  200. 
t  A.  D.  1513. 

C2 


30  HISTORY    OF   AMERICA.  [cH.  1 « 

dominion  of  the  Spaniards,  and  compelled  to  reside 
under  their  inspection,  it  would  be  impossible  to 
reclaim  them  from  idolatry,  or  to  instruct  them  in 
the  principles  of  the  Christian  faith — that  no  farther 
scruple  ought  to  be  entertained  concerning  the  law 
fulness  of  the  repartimientos,  as  the  king  and  coun 
cil  were  willing  to  take  the  charge  of  that  upon 
their  oT.vn  consciences — and  that  the  Dominicans 
and  monks  of  other  religious  orders,  should  abstain, 
for  the  future,  from  those  invectives  which,  from 
an  excess  of  charitable,  but  ill-informed  zeal,  they 
had  uttered  against  the  practice.  The  true  reason 
of  this  decree  will  be  found  in  the  fact,  that  the 
bishop  Fonseca,  the  principal  director  of  American 
affairs,  had  eight  hundred  Indians  in  property ;  the 
commander,  Lope  de  Conchillos,  his  chief  asso 
ciate  in  that  department,  eleven  hundred ;  and 
other  favourites,  considerable  numbers  in  the  islands 
of  Hispaniola,  Porto  Rico,  Cuba,  arid  Jamaica.* 

That  his  intention  of  adhering  to  this  decree 
might  be  fully  understood,  Ferdinand  conferred 
new  grants  of  Indians  upon  his  courtiers.  But, 
that  he  might  not  seem  altogether  inattentive  to 
the  rights  of  humanity,  he  published  an  edict,  by 
which  he  endeavoured  to  provide  for  the  mild 
treatment  of  the  Indians.  He  commanded  that 
houses  should  be  built  for  them ;  he  regulated  the 
nature  of  the  work  which  they  should  be  required 
to  perform ;  he  prescribed  the  mode  in  which  they 
should  be  clothed  and  fed,  and  gave  directions  for 
their  instruction  in  Christian  morality.* 

But  the  Dominicans,  judging  of  the  future  by  the 
past,  perceived  the  inefficacy  of  these  provisions, 
and  foretold  that,  as  long  as  it  was  the  interest  of 
individuals  to  treat  the  Indians  with  rigour,  no  pub 
lic  regulations  could  render  their  servitude  mild  or 

*  Herrera,  Dec.  1.  lib.  ix.  c,  14. 


CH.  I.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  31 

tolerable.  They  considered  it  as  vain  to  spend 
their  own  time  and  strength  in  attempting  to  com 
municate  the  sublime  principles  of  religion  to  men 
whose  spirits  were  broken,  and  whose  faculties 
were  impaired  by  oppression.  Some  of  them,  in 
despair,  requested  permission  of  their  superiors  to 
remove  to  the  continent,  and  pursue  the  object  of 
their  mission  among  such  of  the  natives  as  were 
not  corrupted  by  the  example  of  the  Spaniards,  nor 
alienated  by  their  cruelty  from  the  Christian  faith. 
And  such  as  remained  in  Hispaniola  continued  to 
remonstrate  with  decent  firmness  against  the  servi 
tude  of  the  Indians.* 

XVIII.  The  inhuman  measures  of  Albuquerque 
revived  the  zeal  of  the  Dominicans,  and  called  forth 
an  advocate  for  the  Indians,  who  possessed  the 
courage,  talents,  and  activity  requisite  to  support 
a  desperate  cause.  Bartholomew  Las  Casas  was  a 
native  of  Seville,  and  one  of  the  clergymen  sent 
with  Columbus  in  his  second  voyage  to  Hispaniola, 
in  order  to  settle  in  that  island.  He  followed  Va- 
lasques  to  Cuba,  and  contributed,  as  we  have  above 
observed,  more  by  his  humanity  and  justice  to  the 
subjection  of  that  island,  than  the  arms  of  the  sol 
diers.  In  the  distribution  of  the  Indians  there,  he 
accepted  an  allotment  of  these  unhappy  people; 
but  having  adopted  the  conviction  of  the  Dominic 
ans,  he  surrendered  all  that  had  fallen  to  his  share  ; 
declaring  that  he  should  ever  bewail  his  misfortune 
and  guilt  in  having  exercised  for  a  moment  this  im 
pious  dominion  over  his  fellow-creatures. f  From 
that  time  he  became  the  avowed  patron  of  the  In 
dians  ;  and  by  his  bold  interposition  in  their  be 
half,  and  the  respect  imposed  by  his  abilities  and 
character,  he  succeeded  in  setting  some  bounds  to 

*  Herrera,  Dec.  1.  lib.  ix.  c.  14.  Touron,  Hist  Gen.  de  1'Araerique, 
torn.  i.  p.  252. 
t  A.  D.  1514. 


3S  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  fdl.  1. 

the  excesses  of  his  countrymen.  He  did  not  fail 
to  remonstrate  earnestly  against  the  proceedings  of 
Albuquerque  ;  and  finding  his  admonitions  vain,  he 
determined  to  proceed  to  Spain,  having  the  most 
sanguine  hopes  of  opening  the  eyes  and  softening 
the  heart  of  the  king,  by  that  striking  picture  of 
the  oppression  of  his  subjects  which  he  would  ex 
hibit  to  his  view.* 

He  represented  to  the  monarch,  whom  he  found 
in  a  declining  state  of  health,  all  the  fatal  effects 
of  the  repartimientos ;  boldly  charging  him  with 
the  guilt  of  this  impious  measure,  which  had 
brought  misery  and  destruction  upon  a  numerous 
and  innocent  race  of  men,  whom  Providence  had 
placed  under  his  protection.  Ferdinand,  whose 
mind  and  body  were  enfeebled  by  disease,  was 
alarmed  at  a  charge  of  impiety,  which  at  another 
juncture  he  might  have  despised.  He  listened  with 
deep  compunction  to  reproof,  and  promised  seri 
ously  to  consider  of  the  means  of  redressing  the 
evil.  But  death  prevented  him  from  executing  his 
resolution.!  Charles  of  Austria,  to  whom  all  his 
crowns  devolved,  resided  at  that  time  in  his  pater 
nal  dominions  in  the  Low  Countries.  Las  Casas 
prepared  immediately  to  set  out  for  Flanders,  to 
engage  the  mind  of  the  young  monarch,  when  Car 
dinal  Ximenes,  the  regent  of  Castile,  forbidding 
his  departure,  promised  to  hear  his  complaints  in 
person. 

XIX.  This  bold  and  sagacious  minister,  confiding 
in  his  own  judgment,  and  heedless  of  precedent, 
struck  out  an  original  plan  which  astonished  the 
ministers,  trained  under  the  cautious  administra 
tion  of  Ferdinand.  Disregarding  the  rights  of  Don 
Diego  Columbus,  and  the  regulations  established 

*  Herrera,  Dec.  1.  lib.  x.  c.  12.  Dec  2.  lib.  1.  c.  11.    Da  villa  Pa- 
dilla,  p.  304. 
t  23d  January,  1516. 


CH.  1 .]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  33 

by  the  late  king,  he  resolved  to  send  three  persons 
to  America,  as  superintendents  of  all  the  colonies 
there,  with  authority,  after  examining  all  circum 
stances  on  the  spot,  to  decide  finally  upon  the  point 
in  question.  Much  difficulty  attended  the  choice 
of  men  for  this  important  function.  The  laymen 
in  America,  ard  those  concerned  in  the  adminis 
tration  of  its  affairs,  had  prejudged  the  subject,  and 
their  reason  waited  on  their  interests.  The  judg 
ment  of  the  ecclesiastics  would  be  free  from  pecu 
niary  bias,  and  to  them  he  resolved  to  intrust  the 
commission.  The  Dominicans  and  Franciscans  had 
espoused  opposite  sides  of  the  controversy,  and  he 
therefore  excluded  the  members  of  both  fraterni 
ties  ;  and  made  his  selection  from  the  monks  of  St. 
Jerome,  a  small  but  respectable  order  in  Spain. 
The  choice  fell  on  Bernardino  de  Mancanedo, 
Luis  de  Figueroa,  and  the  prior  of  St.  Juan  de  Or 
tega  de  Burgos.  To  them  was  joined  Zuazo,  a  pri 
vate  lawyer  of  distinguished  probity,  with  unlimited 
power  to  regulate  all  judicial  proceedings  in  the 
colonies.  Las  Casas  was  appointed  to  accompany 
them,  with  the  title  of  "  Protector  of  the  Indians"* 
XX.  The  delegation  of  these  extraordinary  pow 
ers  to  obscure  and  humble  individuals,  started  Za- 
pata  and  the  ministers  of  the  late  king ;  and  be 
lieving  the  measure  to  be  wild  and  dangerous,  they 
refused  to  issue  the  dispatches  necessary  for  carry 
ing  it  into  execution.  But  Ximencs  brooked  no 
opposition  to  his  will ;  and  the  refractory  ministers 
were  compelled  to  obey  his  peremptory  orders.  Im 
mediately  on  the  arrival  of  the  superintendents  with 
their  associates,  Zuazo  and  Las  Casas,  at  San  Do 
mingo,  they  proceeded  to  exercise  their  powers. 
The  first  act  of  their  authority  was  the  liberation 
of  all  the  Indians  who  had  been  granted  to  persons 

*  Herrpra,  Dec.  2.  lib.  11.  c.  3.  6.    1  Robertson's  Am. 
t  A.  D.  1516. 


34  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [CH.  1 < 

not  residing  in  America.    This  measure,  which  the 
colonists  feared  would   become    general,    excited 
great  alarm,  which  was  however  soon  dissipated  by 
the  caution  and  prudence  of  the  commissioners. 
They  displayed  a  knowledge  of  the  world  and  of 
business,  together  with  a  moderation  and  gentle 
ness,  rarely  acquired  in  monastic  life.  They  sought 
information  from  every  quarter,  and  carefully  com 
pared  and  weighed  the  several  accounts  they  re 
ceived  ;  and  finally,  came  to  a  conclusion  adverse 
to  the  plan  proposed 'by  Las  Casas,  and  recom 
mended  by  the  cardinal.  They  adopted  the  opinion 
that  the  Spaniards  settled  in  America  were  too  few 
in  number  to  work  the  mines,  or  cultivate  the  coun 
try,  without  the  labour  of  the  natives ; — that,  such 
was  the  incurable  indolence  of  this  people,  that  it 
could  be  overcome  only  by  the  authority  of  a  mas 
ter  ; — and  that  the  watchfulness  and  discipline  of  a 
superior  was  indispensable,  to  enforce  their-  attend 
ance  upon  religious  instruction,  and  the  observance 
of  such  rites  of  Christianity  as  they  had  already 
been  taught. 

XXI.  For  these  reasons,  the  superintendents 
deemed  it  necessary  to  tolerate  the  repartimientos, 
and  to  suffer  the  Indians  to  remain  under  subjec 
tion  to  their  Spanish  masters.  But  they  endea 
voured  to  moderate  the  evils  of  this  policy,  and  to 
secure  to  the  natives  the  best  treatment  compatible 
with  a  state  of  servitude.  For  this  purpose  they 
revived  former  regulations,  and  prescribed  new 
ones ;  and  by  their  authority,  example,  and  exhorta 
tion,  sought  to  inspire  their  countrymen  with  sen 
timents  of  equity  and  gentleness  towards  the  un 
happy  people  upon  whose  industry  they  depended. 
Zuazo,  in  his  department,  seconded  the  endeavours 
of  the  superintendents.  He  reformed  the  courts 
of  justice,  rendering  their  decisions  equitable  and 
expeditious ;  and  introduced  various  regulations, 


CII.  1.]  SPANISH   DISCOVERIES.  35 

improving  the  interior  police  of  the  colony.  This 
beneficial  employment  of  authority,  and  the  unex 
pected  moderation  of  the  superintendents,  gave 
general  satisfaction ;  and  all  men  paid  the  tribute 
of  their  praise  to  the  courage  of  Ximenes  in  form 
ing  his  plan,  and  to  his  sagacity  in  the  selection  of 
agents  qualified  for  their  high  trust.* 

XXII.  Las  Casas  was  alone  dissatisfied.     The 
enslavement  of  the  Indians  was  avowedly  unright 
eous,  a  violation  of  the  soundest  and  clearest  prin 
ciples  of  natural  justice,  and  productive  of  a  mass 
of  human  misery  which  nothing  but  the  grossest 
avarice   would  dare  to  weigh  against  the  molten 
gold,  and  the  sugar  and  cotton  plantations  of  the 
colonists.     He  therefore  justly  regarded  the  sacri 
fice  of  these  principles  as  an  unhallowed  and  timid 
policy  ;  and  as  the  "  Protector  of  the  Indians"  he 
expressed  his  opinions  with  zeal,  perhaps  with  in 
temperance,  and  boldly  demanded  that  the  super 
intendents  should  not  bereave  the  natives  of  the 
common  rights  of  mankind.  They  received  his  most 
violent  remonstrances  without  emotion,  and  perti 
naciously  adhered  to  their  own  system.     But  the 
colonists  did  not  bear  with  him  so  patiently ;  they 
threatened  violence  to  his  person,  and  he  found  it 
necessary  to  seek  shelter  in  a  convent.     Perceiv 
ing  his  efforts  in  America  to  be  fruitless,  he  re 
turned  to  Europe  with  a  fixed  resolution  not  to 
abandon  a  people  so  cruelly  oppressed. fj 

XXIII.  When  Las  Casas  arrived  in  Spain,  he 
found  the  cardinal  Ximenes  languishing  under  a 
mortal  distemper,  and  preparing  to  resign  his  au 
thority  to  the  young  king  who  was  daily  expected 
from  Flanders.     He  was  compelled,  therefore,  to 
postpone  his  efforts  in  American  affairs.     Charles 

*  Herrera,  Dec.  2.  lib.  ii.  c.  15.  1  Roberts.  Am. 
t  Herrera,  Dec.  2.  lib.  ii.  c.  16.  ib. 

t  May,  A.  D.  1517. 


86  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [cH.  1  * 

arrived,  took  possession  of  the  government,  and 
soon  after,  by  the  decease  of  Ximenes,  lost  an  able 
and  faithful  minister ;  the  proximate  cause  of  whose 
death  was  the  ingratitude  of  his  prince.  Many  of 
the  Flemish  nobility  accompanied  their  sovereign 
to  Spain,  and  obtained,  amongf  other  departments  of 
the  administration,  that  established  for  the  direction 
of  American  affairs.  Las  Casas  applied  to  the  new 
ministers  with  industry  and  address ;  and  in  de 
spite  of  the  opposition  of  Father  Mancanedo,  whom 
the  superintendents  had  sent  to  Spain  to  resist  his 
appeal,  his  exertions  to  obtain  a  reconsideration  of 
the  measures  relating  to  the  Indians  were  success 
ful.  The  fathers  of  St.  Jerome  were  recalled,  to 
gether  with  their  associate  Zuazo.  Roderigo  de 
Figueroa,  an  eminent  lawyer,  was  appointed  chief 
justice  of  Hispaniola,  and  instructed  to  examine 
once  more,  with  attention,  the  policy  relative  to 
the  natives ;  and,  in  the  mean  time,  to  do  all  in 
his  power  to  alleviate  their  sufferings,  and  to  pre 
vent  the  extinction  of  their  race.* 

XXIV.  But  Las  Casas  was  yet  far  from  his  great 
object.  The  supposed  impossibility  of  carrying  on 
improvement  in  America,  unless  the  natives  were 
subjected  to  labour,  was  an  insuperable  objection 
against  endowing  them  with  the  character  of  free 
subjects.  To  obviate  this,  he  proposed  to  purchase 
a  sufficient  number  of  negroes  from  the  Portuguese 
settlements  on  the  coast  of  Africa,  and  to  trans 
port  them  to  America,  to  be  employed  as  slaves. 
One  of  the  first  uses  which  the  Portuguese  made 
of  their  discoveries  in  Africa,  was  the  revival  of 
the  trade  in  slaves.  In  the  year  1442,  Gonsalez, 
who,  two  years  before,  had  seized  some  Moors  near 
Cape  Bojador,  was  compelled,  by  prince  Henry,  to 
carry  his  prisoners  back  to  Africa.  He  landed  them 

*  Herrera,  .Dec.  2.  lib.  ii.  c.  16.  19.  21.  lib.  iii.  c.  7, 8. 


CH.  1.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  37 

at  Rio  del  Oro,  and  received  from  the  Moors,  in 
exchange,  ten  blacks  and  a  quantity  of  gold  dust, 
with  which  he  returned  to  Lisbon.  This  success 
stimulated  the  avarice  of  his  countrymen  ;  who,  in 
the  course  of  a  few  succeeding  years,  fitted  out  no 
less  than  thirty-seven  ships  in  pursuit  of  the  same 
gainful  but  iniquitous  traffic.  In  1481,  the  Portu 
guese  built  a  fort  on  the  gold  coast ;  another,  some 
time  afterwards,  on  the  island  of  Arguin ;  and  a 
third  at  Loango  Saint  Paul's,  on  the  coast  of  Ango 
la  ;  and  the  king  of  Portugal  took  the  title  of  Lord 
of  Guinea.  So  early  as  the  year  1503,  some  negro 
slaves  had  been  sent  to  the  New  World  ;  but  Ovan- 
do  forbade  their  further  importation,  alleging  tnat 
they  taught  the  Indians  all  manner  of  wickedness, 
and  rendered  them  less  tractable.  In  the  year 
1511,  Ferdinand  revoked  the  prohibition,  and  they 
were  imported  in  greater  numbers.  They  proved 
more  robust  and  hardy  than  the  natives  of  Ameri 
ca;  more  capable  of  enduring,  and  more  patient 
under  servitude ;  so  that  the  labour  of  one  negro 
was  computed  to  be  equal  to  that  of  four  Indians. 
Cardinal  Ximenes,  however,  when  solicited  to  en 
courage  this  commerce,  peremptorily  rejected  the 
proposition  ;  perceiving  the  iniquity  of  perpetuating 
the  slavery  of  one  race  of  men,  in  order  that  an 
other  might  be  restored  to  liberty.  Unfortunately 
for  the  sons  of  Africa,  the  plan  of  Las  Casas  was 
adopted  by  Charles,  who  granted  a  patent  to  one  of 
his  Flemish  favourites,  containing  an  exclusive 
right  of  importing  four  thousand  negroes  into  Ame 
rica.  The  favourite  sold  the  patent  to  some  Geno 
ese  merchants  for  twenty-five  thousand  ducats,  and 
they  were  the  first  who  brought  into  a  regular  form 
the  commerce  for  slaves  between  Africa  and  Ame 
rica,  since  carried  on  to  an  amazing  extent. *f 

*  Robertson's  Am.  Herrera,  Dec.  1.  lib.  v.  c.  12.  lib.  viii.  c.  9.  c.  5. 
Ibid.  Dec.  2.  lib.  11.  c.  8.  t  A.  D.  1517 

VOL.  II.  D 


38  IIISTOIIY    OF    AMERICA.  [cH.  1. 

XXV.  The  conduct  of  Las  Casas,  upon  this  oc 
casion,  has  been  severely  reprehended  by  a  distin 
guished  historian,*  who  avers  that,  "  from  the  in 
consistency  natural  to  men,  who  hurry  with  head 
long  impetuosity  towards  a  favourite  point,  he  was 
incapable"  of  taking  the  view  of  his  proposition 
which  had  struck  the  cardinal  :  and  that  "  while  he 
contended  earnestly  for  the  liberty  of  the  people 
born  in  one  quarter  of  the  globe,  he  laboured  to  en 
slave  the  inhabitants  of  another  region ;  and  in  the 
warmth  of  his  zeal  to  save  the  Americans  from  the 
yoke,  pronounced  it  to  be  lawful  and  expedient  to 
impose  one  still  heavier  upon  the  Africans."     An 
other  valuable  writerf  says,  "  the  conduct  of  Las 
Casas  is  not  fully  and  fairly  stated  in  the  foregoing 
representation ;  for  it  supposes,  that  each  class  of 
people  (the  negroes  and  Indians)  was  found  in  a 
similar  condition  and  situation  of  life ;  whereas  it 
is  notorious,  that  many  of  the  negroes  imported 
from  Africa  are  born  of  enslaved  parents,  are  bred 
up  as  slaves  themselves,  and  as  such  have  been  ha 
bituated  to  labour  from  their  infancy."     "  On  the 
other  hand,  the  condition  of  the  Indians  was  wide 
ly  removed  from  a  state  of  slavery,  having  been  so 
used  to  the  enjoyment  of  liberty,  in  a  life  of  plenty 
and  pastime,  that  the  yoke  of  servitude  was  insup 
portable  to  them  ;.and  assuredly,  if  they  would  have 
embraced  our  holy  religion,  they  would  have  been 
the  happiest  of  human  beings  in  the  enjoyment  of 
their  ancient  freedom.^     Las  Casas  therefore  con 
tended,  reasonably  enough,  that  men  inured  to  ser 
vitude  and  drudgery,  who  could  experience  no  al 
teration  of  circumstances  from  a  change  of  masters, 
and  who  felt  not  the   sentiments  which  freedom 
alone  can  inspire,  were  not  so  great  objects  of  com- 

*  Robertson,  1  vol.  Hist.  Am.  p.  209. 

t  Edward's  Hist.  West  Ind.  vol.  2.  p.  241 

J  Pet.  Martyr,  Oecad. 


CH.  1.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  39 

miseration,  as  those  who,  having  always  enjoyed 
the  sweets  of  unbounded  liberty,  were  suddenly  de 
prived  of  it,  and  urged  to  tasks  of  labour  which 
their  strength  was  unable  to  perform.  Las  Casas 
could  neither  prevent,  nor  foresee,  the  abuses  and 
evils  that  have  arisen  from  the  system  of  traffic  re 
commended  by  him,  and  is  not  therefore  justly 
chargeable  with  the  rashness,  absurdity,  and  ini 
quity  which  have  since  been  imputed  to  his  con 
duct."  We  do  not  feel  that  this  defence  is  success 
ful.  It  is  erroneous  in  fact,  and  false  in  logic. 
And  we  cannot  hesitate  to  say,  that  the  philanthro- 
.py  of  the  worthy  friar  was  partial,  and  that  a  blind 
indulgence  of  his  sympathy  for  the  Indians,  caused 
him  to  promote  an  evil,  inferior  only  to  that  he 
would  have  remedied.  The  Africans  torn  from 
their  country  were  not  all  born  to  slavery,  but  thou 
sands  have  been  enslaved  in  their  native  country 
to  gratify  the  passions  which  the  slave-trade  of  the 
Europeans  excited.  If  they  were  slaves,  it  was  still 
criminal  to  encourage  the  practice  of  slavery  by 
joining  in  the  traffic.  It  cannot  be  lawful  to  do 
evil  that  good  may  come :  and  this  simple  truth 
cannot  be  better  illustrated,  than  by  the  case  before 
us.  The  Indians  were  never  relieved  from  their 
yoke,  but  the  introduction  of  the  African  slave- 
trade  has  caused  and  perpetuated  enormities,  not  at 
all  inferior  to  the  worst  committed  on  the  Indian 
race.* 

XXVI.  The  Genoese  merchants,  conducting 
their  operations  at  first  with  the  rapacity  of  mono 
polists,  demanded  such  a  high  price  for  negroes, 
that  the  number  immediately  imported  into  His- 

*  Our  countryman,  Irving,  has  made  a  more  ingenious,  but,  we 
think,  not  a  full  defence  of  Las  Casas.  He  contends  truly,  that 
the  friar  did  not  originate  the  trade,  that  he  found  it  in  existence, 
and  in  the  dernier  resort  proposed  to  encourage  it  as  the  less  oi  two 
evils.  See  3  Irv.  Col  umb.  p.  367. 


40  HISTORY    OF   AMERICA.  [CH.  1. 

paniola,  made  little  change  in  the  state  of  the  colo 
ny.  Las  Casas,  whose  zeal  was  not  less  inventive, 
than  indefatigable,  devised  another  expedient  for 
the  relief  of  the  Indians,  at  once  useful  to  his  coun 
try  and  honourable  to  himself.  The  persons  who 
had  hitherto  settled  in  America,  were  sailors  and 
soldiers,  employed  in  the  discovery  or  conquest  of 
the  country ;  the  younger  sons  of  noble  families, 
allured  by  the  prospect  of  acquiring  sudden  wealth  ; 
or  desperate  adventurers,  whose  indigence  or  crimes 
forced  them  to  abandon  their  native  land.  Instead 
of  such  men,  who  were  dissolute,  rapacious,  and 
incapable  of  that  sober  persevering  industry  which 
is  requisite  in  forming  new  states,  he  proposed  to 
supply  the  colonies  with  a  sufficient  number  of  la 
bourers  and  husbandmen  from  Spain,  who  should 
be  allured  by  suitable  premiums  to  remove  thither. 
These,  as  they  were  accustomed  to  fatigue,  would 
be  able  to  perform  the  work,  to  which  the  Indians, 
from  the  feebleness  of  their  constitutions,  were  un 
equal,  and  might  soon  become  useful  and  opulent 
citizens.  But  though  Hispaniola  much  needed  a 
recruit  of  inhabitants,  having  been  visited  at  this 
time  with  the  small-pox,  which  swept  off  almost  all 
the  natives  who  had  survived  their  long-continued 
oppression ;  and  though  Las  Casas  had  the  counte 
nance  of  the  Flemish  ministers,  this  scheme  was 
defeated  by  Fonseca,  who  thwarted  all  his  pro 
jects.* 

XXVII.  Disappointed  in  his  endeavours  to  ame 
liorate  the  condition  of  the  Indians  in  those  places 
where  the  Spaniards  had  already  settled,  Las  Casas 
turned  his  attention  to  the  continent,  flattering 
himself  that  he  might  prevent  the  introduction 
there,  of  the  pernicious  system  he  had  so  vainly 
combated  in  the  islands.  With  this  view,  he  ap- 

*  Herrera,Dec.  1.  lib.  ii.  c.  20.  A.  D.  1518.  1  Robertson's  Am. 


CH.  1.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  41 

plied  for  a  grant  of  the  unoccupied  country  stretch 
ing-  along  the  sea  coast  from  the  gulf  of  Paria  to 
the  western  frontier  of  that  province,  afterwards 
known  by  the  name  of  St.  Martha.  lie  proposed 
to  settle  there,  with  a  colony  composed  of  husband 
men,  labourers,  and  ecclesiastics ;  engaging,  in  the 
space  of  two  years,  to  civilize  ten  thousand  of  the 
natives,  and  to  instruct  them  so  thoroughly  in  the 
arts  of  social  life,  that,  from  the  fruits  of  their  in 
dustry,  an  annual  revenue  of  fifteen  thousand  ducats 
should  arise  to  the  king.  In  ten  years,  he  promised 
that  his  improvements  should  be  so  far  advanced 
as  to  yield,  annually,  sixty  thousand  ducats.  He 
stipulated,  that  no  sailor  or  soldier  should  be  per 
mitted  to  inhabit  this  district ;  and  that  no  Span 
iard  whatever  should  enter  it  without  his  permis- 

•  sion.  He  even  projected  to  clothe  the  people  whom 

•  he   took  with  him  in   some   distinguishing  garb, 

•  which  did  not  resemble   the   Spanish  dress,  that 

•  they  might  appear,  to  the  natives,  a  different  race 
of  men  from  those  which  had  brought  so  many  ca 
lamities  upon  their  country.    Had  this  plan  of  Las 
Casas  been  carried  into  effect,  and  the  approach  of 
the  whites  entirely  prevented,  Paria  might  now  ex 
hibit  a  counterpart  of  Paraguay.  The  natives  might 
have  become  docile  and  obedient  to  their  ghostly 
rulers;  but,  with  the  many  failures  in  civilizing 
the  Indian  race,  under  the  mildest  treatment,  we 
may  justly  doubt  of  the  result  in  that  respect.    We 
think  it  more  probable,  that  the  rulers  would  have 
been  brought  down  near  to  the  level  of  their  sub 
jects,  than  that  the  intellectual  and  moral  condi 
tion  of  the  latter  would  have  been  elevated.    But, 
we  must  also  admit,   that,   if  they  had  been  ad 
vanced  no  further  than  the  natives  of  Paraguay,  or 
the   Indians  attached  to  the  Spanish  missions  of 
South  America,  their  condition  would  have  been 
somewhat  improved,  or  at  least,  that   they  would 

D  2 


42  HISTORY    OF   AMERICA.  [cH.  1. 

have  been  spared  the  cruelties  to  which  they  were 
subjected.* 

XXVIII.  But  to  the  bishop  of  Burgos  and  the 
council  of  the  Indies,  this  project  appeared  chi 
merical  and  dangerous.     They  deemed  the  facul 
ties  of  the  Americans  to  be  naturally  so  limited, 
and  their  indolence  so  excessive,  that  every  attempt 
to  instruct  or  improve   them  would  be  fruitless. 
And  they  contended  that  it  would  be  extremely 
imprudent  to  give  the  command  of  a  country,  ex 
tending  above  a  thousand  miles  along  the  coast,  to 
a  fanciful,  presumptuous  enthusiast,  a  stranger  to 
the  affairs  of  the  world,  and  unacquainted  with  the 
arts  of  government.     Las  Casas,  not  discouraged 
by  this  repulse,  which  he  had  reason  to  expect,  had 
recourse  once  more  to  the  Flemish  favourites,  who 
zealously  patronized  his  scheme.     They  prevailed 
with  their  master  to  refer  the  consideration  of  this  * 
measure  to  a  select  number  of  his  privy-counsel-  * 
lors ;  and  Las  Casas  having  excepted  against  the 
members  of  the  council  of  the  Indies,  as  partial 
and  interested,  they  were  all  excluded.     The  com 
mittee  approved  the  plan,  and  gave  orders  for  its 
execution,  but  restricted  the  territory  allotted  to 
him  to  three  hundred  miles  along  the  coast  of  Cu- 
mana,  allowing  him  however  to  extend  it  as  far  as 
he  pleased  towards  the  interior  part  of  the  coun 
try.* 

XXIX.  This  resolution  was  so  violently  opposed, 
that  the  emperor,  for  such  Charles  had  now  be 
come,  though  accustomed,  at  this  early  period  of 
his  life,  to  adopt  the  sentiments  of  his  ministers 
with  submissive  deference,  became  suspicious  of 
the   disinterestedness   of  the  Flemings,  and  dis 
played  an  inclination  to  examine  in  person  into  the 
state  of  the  question  concerning  the   Americans, 

*  Gomara,  Hist.  Gen.  c.  77.  Herrera,  Dec.  2.  lib.  iv.  c.  3.  1  Rob 
ertson's  America. 


Cfi.  1.]  SPANISH   DISCOVERIES,  43 

and  the  proper  manner  of  treating  them.  An  op 
portunity  of  making  this  inquiry  with  advantage, 
soon  occurred.*  Quevedo,  bishop  of  Darien,  who 
had  accompanied  Pedrarias  to  the  continent  in  the 
year  1513,  landed  at  Barcelona,  where  the  court 
then  resided.  It  soon  became  known,  that  his 
opinions  of  the  talents  and  dispositions  of  the  In 
dians  differed  from  those  of  Las  Casas  ;  and  Charles 
presumed,  that  by  confronting  two  respectable  per 
sons,  who  had  full  opportunity  and  leisure  to  ob 
serve  the  manners  of  the  people  they  were  required 
to  describe,  he  might  obtain  a  full  and  impartial 
view  of  their  genius  and  capability. 

XXX.  At  the  audience,  held  on  this  occasion 
with  extraordinary  pomp,  the  principal  courtiers, 
among  whom  was  Diego  Columbus,  attended.  The 
bishop  of  Darien,  in  a  short  discourse,  lamented 
the  fatal  desolation  of  America,  by  the  extinction 
of  so  many  of  its  inhabitants,  which  he  acknow 
ledged  was  attributable  in  some  degree  to  the  ex 
cessive  rigour  and  inconsiderate  proceedings  of  the 
Spaniards ;  but  he  declared  that  all  the  aborigines, 
whom  he  had  seen  in  the  islands  or  on  the  conti 
nent,  appeared  to  him  designed,  by  the  inferiority 
of  their  nature,  for  servitude  ;  and  that  it  would  be 
impossible  to  instruct  or  improve  them,  unless  un 
der  the  continual  inspection  of  a  master.  Las  Casas, 
at  greater  length  and  with  more  fervour,  defended 
his  system.  He  indignantly  rejected  the  idea  that 
any  race  of  men  was  born  to  servitude,  as  irreli 
gious  and  inhuman.  He  asserted,  that  the  facul 
ties  of  the  Americans,  though  unimproved,  were 
not  naturally  despicable ;  that  they  were  capable 
of  receiving  instruction  in  the  principles  of  reli 
gion,  and  of  acquiring  the  industry  and  the  arts 
which  would  qualify  them  for  the  various  offices  of 

*  June  20,  A.  D.  1519. 


44  HISTORY    OF   AMERICA.  [cH.  1. 

social  life ;  that  the  mildness  and  timidity  of  their 
nature  rendered  them  so  submissive  and  docile, 
that  they  might  be  led  and  formed  with  a  gentle 
hand.  He  professed  that  his  intentions  in  proposing 
the  scheme  now  under  consideration,  were  pure 
and  disinterested  ;  and  though  from  the  accomplish 
ment  of  his  designs,  inestimable  benefits  would  re 
sult  to  the  crown  of  Castile,  he  never  had  claimed, 
and  never  would  receive  any  recompense  on  that 
account. 

XXXI.  Charles  did  not  feel  himself  competent, 
from  the  information   he  received  at  this  confer 
ence,  to  establish  any  general  regulations  with  re 
spect  to  the  Indians ;  but  as  he  had  full  confidence 
in  the  integrity  of  Las  Casas,  and  as  his  plan  was 
admitted  by  the  bishop  of  Darien  to  be  worthy  of 
trial,  he  granted  him  the  district  in  Cumana  above 
mentioned,  with  power  to  establish  a  colony  there.* 
Las  Casas  pushed  on  the  preparations  for  his  voy 
age  with  his  usual  ardour ;  but  either  his  own  in 
experience  in  business,  or  the  opposition  of  those 
who  dreaded  the  success  of  his  enterprize,  delayed 
his  progress ;  and  he  was  unable  to  prevail  on  more 
than  two  hundred  husbandmen  to  accompany  him 
to  Cumana. 

XXXII.  His  zeal,  however,  was  invincible  ;  and 
he  set  sail  with  this  meagre  and  incompetent  force. 
He  touched  at  Porto  Rico,  where  he  heard  of  a  new 
and  formidable  obstacle  to  his  enterprize.     When 
he  left  America,  in  the  year  1516,  the  intercourse 
of  the  Spaniards  with  the  continent  was  confined 
chiefly  to  the  countries  adjacent  to  the  gulf  of  Da 
rien.     But  as  the  decrease  of  the  natives  in  His- 
paniola  deprived  the  planters  of  the  means  by  which 
they  conducted  their  operations,  they  sought,  by 
various  expedients,  to  supply  that  loss.     They  im- 

*  Herrera,  Dec.  2.  lib.  iv.  c.  3,  4,  5.   Argensola,  Annales  d'Arra- 
gon,  74.  97.  Remisal,  Hist.  Gen.  lib.  ii. ' .  19,  20. 


CH.  1.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  45 

ported  negroes,  but,  as  we  have  already  observed, 
their  exorbitant  price  prevented  this  practice  from 
becoming  general.  To  procure  slaves  at  an  easier 
rate,  vessels  were  sent  to  cruize  along  the  coast  of 
the  continent.  In  places  where  they  found  them 
selves  inferior  in  strength,  the  commanders  traded 
with  the  natives,  and  gave  European  toys  in  ex 
change  for  plates  of  gold ;  but  where  they  could 
surprize  or  overpower  the  Indians,  they  carried 
them  off,  and  sold  them  as  slaves.  In  these  excur 
sions,  such  atrocious  acts  of  violence  and  cruelty 
were  committed,  that  the  Spanish  name  was  held 
in  detestation  wherever  it  was  known  on  the  con 
tinent.  Whenever  ships  appeared,  the  inhabitants 
either  fled  to  the  woods,  or  rushed  to  the  shore  in 
arms  to  repel  the  hated  invaders.  They  forced 
some  parties  of  the  Spaniards  to  retreat  with  pre 
cipitation  ;  they  cut  off  others ;  and  in  the  violence 
of  their  resentment  against  the  whole  nation,  they 
murdered  two  Dominican  missionaries,  whose  zeal 
had  prompted  them  to  settle  u^the  province  of  Cu- 
mana.  This  outrage  agains^ersons  revered  for 
their  sanctity,  excited  such  indignation  among  the 
people  of  Hispaniola,  who,  notwithstanding  their 
licentious  and  cruel  proceedings,  had  a  wonderful 
zeal  for  religion,  and  a  superstitious  respect  for  its 
ministers,  that  they  determined  to  inflict  exem 
plary  punishment  not  only  upon  the  perpetrators 
of  that  crime,  but  upon  their  whole  race.  With 
this  view,  they  gave  the  command  of  five  ships  and 
three  hundred  men  to  Diego  Ocampo,  with  orders 
to  lay  waste  the  country  of  Cumana  by  fire  and 
sword,  and  to  transport  the  inhabitants,  as  slaves, 
to  Hispaniola.  This  armament  Las  Casas  found  at 
Porto  Rico,  and  as  Ocampo  refused  to  defer  his 
voyage,  he  perceived  that  it  would  be  impossible 
to  attempt  the  execution  of  his  pacific  plan  in  a 


46  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [dl.  1. 

country  destined  to  be  the  seat  of  war  and  desola 
tion  !* 

XXXIII.  To  provide  against  the  effects  of  this 
unfortunate  incident,  he  proceeded  directly  for  St. 
Domingo,  leaving  his  followers  cantoned  out  among 
the  planters  in  Porto  Rico.  From  many  concurring 
causes,  his  reception  here  was  very  unfavourable. 
In  his  negotiations  for  the  relief  of  the  Indians, 
he  had  censured  the  conduct  of  his  countrymen 
settled  there,  with  such  honest  severity,  as  ren 
dered  him  universally  odious  to  them.  They  con 
sidered  their  own  ruin,  as  the  inevitable  conse 
quence  of  his  success.  They  were  now  elated  with 
the  hope  of  receiving  a  large  supply  of  slaves  from 
Cumana,  which  must  be  relinquished  if  Las  Casas 
were  assisted  in  settling  his  projected  colony  there. 
Figueroa,  in  consequence  of  the  instructions  which 
he  received  in  Spain,  had  made  an  experiment  con 
cerning  the  capacity  of  the  Indians,  that  was  re 
presented  as  decisive  against  the  system  of  Las 
Casas.  He  collectjl  in  Hispaniola  a  number  of 
the  natives,  and  settled  them  in  two  villages,  leav 
ing  them  at  perfect  liberty,  and  with  uncontrolled 
direction  of  their  own  actions.  But,  accustomed 
to  a  mode  of  life  widely  different  from  that  which 
takes  place  wherever  civilization  has  made  any 
considerable  progress,  they  were  incapable  of  as 
suming  new  habits  at  once.  Dejected  by  the  mis 
fortunes  that  had  overwhelmed  themselves  and  their 
country,  they  exerted  so  little  industry  in  cultivat 
ing  the  ground,  appeared  so  devoid  of  solicitude  or 
foresight  in  providing  for  their  own  wants,  and  were 
such  strangers  to  system  in  conducting  their  af 
fairs,  that  the  Spaniards  pronounced  them  incapa 
ble  of  being  formed  to  live  like  men  in  social  life, 

*  Herrera,  Dec.  3.  lib.  ii.  c.  3.     April,  A.  D,  1520. 


CH.  1.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  47 

and  considered  them  as  children  who  should  be 
kept  under  perpetual  tutelage. 

XXXIV.  Notwithstanding  all  these  circum 
stances,  which  alienated  the  persons  in  Hispaniola, 
to  whom  Las  Casas  applied,  from  himself  and  his 
measures,  he  by  his  activity  and  perseverance,  by 
some  concessions  and  many  threats,  obtained  at 
length  a  small  body  of  troops  to  protect  him  and 
his  colony  at  their  first  landing.  But  on  his  return 
to  Porto  Rico,  he  found  that  the  diseases  of  the 
climate  had  been  fatal  to  several  of  his  people  ;  and 
that  others,  having  got  employment  in  that  island, 
refused  to  follow  him.  With  the  handful  that  re 
mained,  he  sailed  for  Cumana.  Ocampo  had  exe 
cuted  his  commission  in  that  province  with  such 
barbarous  rage,  having  massacred  many  of  the  in 
habitants,  sent  others  in  chains  to  Hispaniola,  and 
forced  the  rest  to  fly  for  shelter  to  the  woods,  that 
the  people  of  a  small  colony  planted  by  him  at  a 
place  he  called  Toledo,  were  ready  to  perish  for 
want  in  a  desolated  country. ^There,  however,  Las 
Casas  was  obliged  to  fix  his  residence,  though  de 
serted  by  the  troops  appointed  to  protect  him,  and 
by  those  under  the  command  of  Ocampo,  who  fore 
saw  and  dreaded  the  calamities  to  which  he  must 
be  exposed  in  that  wretched  situation.  He  made 
the  best  provision  in  his  power  for  the  safety  and 
subsistence  of  his  followers ;  but  as  his  utmost  ef 
forts  availed  little  towards  securing  either  the  one 
or  the  other,  he  returned  to  Hispaniola,  in  order  to 
solicit  more  effectual  aid  for  the  preservation  of 
men,  who  from  confidence  in  him  had  assumed  a 
post  of  so  much  danger.  Soon  after  his  departure, 
the  natives  having  discovered  the  feeble  and  de 
fenceless  state  of  the  Spaniards,  assembled  secretly, 
attacked  them  with  the  fury  natural  to  men  exas 
perated  by  many  injuries,  cut  off  many,  and  com 
pelled  the  rest  to  fly  in  the  utmost  consternation  to 


48  HISTORY    OF   AMERICA.  [cH.  1. 

the  island  of  Cubagua.  The  small  colony  settled 
there  on  account  of  the  pearl  fishery,  catching  the 
panic  with  which  their  countrymen  had  been  seized, 
abandoned  the  island,  and  not  a  Spaniard  remained 
in  any  part  of  the  continent  or  adjacent  islands, 
from  the  gulf  of  Paria  to  the  borders  of  Darien. 
Astonished  at  such  a  succession  of  disasters,  and 
overwhelmed  with  mortification  at  this  fatal  termi 
nation  of  his  splendid  schemes,  Las  Casas  shut 
himself  up  in  the  convent  of  the  Dominicans,  at 
St.  Domingo,  and  soon  after  assumed  the  habit  of 
that  order.* 

Departing  from  the  chronological  order  of  our 
work,  we  have  thus  given  a  succinct  history  of  the 
efforts  of  Las  Casas  to  soften  and  improve  the  con 
dition  of  the  Indian  race  :  e^lrts  which  in  the 
present  age  would  have  placed  him  by  the  side  of 
Clarkson,  Wilberforce,  and  other  distinguished  phi 
lanthropists.  It  must  not,  however,  be  forgotten, 
that  he  was  only  the  advocate,  the  protector  of  the 
Indians ;  not  the  en^y  of  slavery  in  all  its  forms, 
nor  the  friend  of  universal  emancipation.  But  these 
are  principles  which  that  age  was  incapable  of 
entertaining;  which  have  slowly  expanded  with 
the  progress  of  letters  and  religion,  and  are  still 
unacknowledged  in  a  great  part  of  the  globe. 
Yet  the  good  priest  is  entitled  to  a  niche  in  the 
small  temple  devoted  to  men  who  have  zealously, 
courageously,  and  disinterestedly  applied  their 
whole  faculties  to  promote  the  happiness  of  their 
fellow-beings. 

XXXV.  It  will  be  recollected  that  the  admiral, 
in  consequence  of  the  indignities  and  vexations 
which  he  received  from  the  royal  officers  at  His- 
paniola,  had  resolved  to  return  to  Europe.  Having 

*  A.  D.  1521.  Herrera,  Dec.  2.  lib.  x.  c.  5.  Dec.  3.  lib.  ii.  c.  3,  4,  5. 
Oviedo,  Hist.  lib.  xix.  c.  5.  Gomara,  c.  77.  Davila  Padilla,  lib.  i.  c. 
97.  Remisal,  Hist.  Gen.  lib.  xi.  c.  22,  23. 


CH.  1 .]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  49 

procured  the  permission  of  the  king,  he  arrived  at 
San  Lucar  on  the  9th  April,  1515,  leaving  the  vice- 
queen,  and  the  adelantado,  at  St.  Domingo.  He  was  fa 
vourably  received  by  his  majesty,  who,  upon  investi 
gation,  was  thoroughly  satisfied  with  his  conduct,  and 
directed  that  all  processes  which  had  been  brought 
against  him  in  the  courts  of  appeal,  or  elsewhere, 
for  damages  to  individuals,  in  regulating  the  repar- 
timientos,  should  be  discontinued,  and  the  cases 
sent  to  himself  for  consideration.  But  he  showed 
himself  now,  as  at  all  times,  averse  to  intrusting 
the  Columbi  with  the  powers  and  dignities  which 
they  justly  claimed,  and  equally  unwilling  to  pay 
them  the  revenues  stipulated  in  the  capitulations 
of  the  first  admiral.  Don  Diego  demanded  his  share 
of  the  profits  derived  from  the  provinces  of  Castillo, 
del  OrOj  which  had  been  discovered  by  his  father. 
And  though  the  fact  of  discovery  was  notorious, 
the  king  pretended  to  doubt  it ;  and  for  the  pur 
pose  of  delay,  directed  interrogatories  to  be  put  to 
the  mariners,  who  had  sailec^with  Don  Christopher 
Columbus,  now  scattered  among  the  West  India 
islands.* 

XXXVI.  Long  before  the  termination  of  a  suit 
thus  vexatiously  delayed,  king  Ferdinand  died. 
Nor  could  Diego  obtain  a  hearing  from  his  suc 
cessor  for  several  years.  The  regent  Ximenes  re 
fused  to  take  upon  himself  the  decision  of  so  im 
portant  a  question.  At  length  in  the  year  1520, 
just  before  the  departure  of  Charles  for  Germany, 
to  assume  the  imperial  crown,  he  determined  the 
rights  of  Columbus  with  many  other  important  mat 
ters  which  were  pressed  in  mass  upon  his  attention. 
The  accusations  got  up  by  Passamonte  and  his  con 
federates,  were  recognized  as  notorious  calumnies, 
and  the  admiral  was  commanded  to  resume  his 

*  Herrera,  Dec.  2.  lib.  1.  c.  5. 

VOL.  II.  E 


60  HISTORY    OF   AMERICA.  fcH.   1. 

charge.  His  powers  of  viceroy  and  governor  in 
Hispaniola,  and  in  all  the  countries  discovered  by 
his  father,  were  acknowledged,  and  letters  were 
addressed  to  Passamonte,  commanding  him  to  bury 
in  oblivion  all  past  differences,  and  to  preserve  a 
cordial  correspondence  with  Don  Diego ;  a  com 
mand  which  the  royal  treasurer  was  particularly 
careful  not  to  obey.  General  instructions  were  also 
given  to  the  admiral  for  the  discharge  of  his  duties, 
and  that  his  dependence  might  be  preserved,  an 
officer  was  appointed  by  the  title  of  Pesquisidor, 
with  instructions  to  observe  his  conduct  and  to  re 
port  thereon  to  the  king  in  council ;  and  resident 
judges  were  also  nominated  to  pass  upon  cases  in 
which  his  officers  were  parties.  He  sailed  for  St. 
Domingo  in  September,  1520.  On  his  arrival,  find 
ing  that  several  of  the  governors  of  the  dependent 
islands  had  arrogated  independence,  and  had  abused 
their  powers,  he  immediately  superseded  them,  and 
demanded  an  account  of  their  administration.  A 
measure  which  maddttiim  a  host  of  active  and  pow 
erful  enemies  both  in  the  colonies  and  in  Spain. 

XXXVII.  Great  changes  had  taken  place  in  the 
island  of  Hispaniola,  in  the  absence  of  the  admiral. 
Not  long  after  his  departure,  his  uncle,  Don  Bartholo 
mew,  died  at  a  very  advanced  age.  He  had  re 
mained  long  inactive,  though  his  skill  and  genius 
might  have  been  usefully  employed  by  the  crown ; 
but  it  is  said  that  Ferdinand  was  unwilling  to  give 
a  further  opportunity  of  aggrandizing  a  family 
which  he  considered  as  already  too  powerful.  On 
his  death,  the  king  resumed  the  island  of  Mona, 
which  had  been  given  to  him  for  life,  and  transfer 
red  his  repartimiento  of  Indians  to  the  vice-queen 
Donna  Maria.*  The  mines  had  fallen  into  neglect, 
the  cultivation  of  the  sugar-cane  having  been  found 

*  1  Herrera,  Dec.  1.  lib.  10.  c.  16.  Ib.  Dec.  3.  lib.  4.  c.  9.  3  Irv. 
Col.  p.  224.  A.  D.  1522. 


CH.  1.]  SPANISH   DISCOVERIES.  51 

a  more  certain  source  of  wealth.  It  became  a  by 
word  in  Spain,  that  the  magnificent  palaces  erected 
by  Charles  V.  at  Madrid  and  Toledo  were  built  of 
the  sugar  of  Hispaniola.  Slaves  were  imported  in 
great  numbers  from  Africa — whose  treatment  was 
cruel  in  the  extreme,  and  who,  in  this  respect,  less 
fortunate  than  the  Indians,  found  no  advocates. 
The  inferiority  of  nature,  the  great  reason  assigned 
by  the  interested  for  the  maintenance  of  Indian 
slavery,  was  urged  against  the  negroes  with  more 
vehemence,  and  without  contradiction.  The  bar 
barities  inflicted  on  them,  roused  them  to  revenge, 
and  produced,  on  the  27th  December,  1522,  the 
first  African  revolt  in  Hispaniola.  It  began  on  a 
sugar  plantation  of  the  admiral,  where,  about 
twenty  slaves,  joined  by  an  equal  number  from  a 
neighbouring  plantation,  got  possession  of  arms, 
rose  on  their  superintendents,  massacred  them,  and 
sallied  forth  upon  the  country.  They  proposed  to 
pillage  certain  plantations,  to  kill  the  whites,  rein 
force  themselves  by  liberating  their  countrymen, 
and  either  to  possess  themselves  of  the  town  of 
Agua,  or  to  make  for  the  mountains.  The  revolt 
was  suppressed  by  Don  Diego  without  difficulty, 
the  insurgents  being  pursued  to  their  hiding-places, 
dragged  thence,  and  hung  on  the  nearest  trees. 
This  prompt  severity  checked  all  further  attempts  at 
revolt  among  the  African  slaves.* 

XXXVIII.  An  insurrection  of  the  Indians  in  the 
year  preceding  the  return  of  the  admiral  was  more 
successful  and  more  durable  :  and  merits  to  be  nar 
rated  on  account  of  the  evidence  it  affords,  of  the 
improvable  character  of  the  natives,  and  that  the 
feebleness  of  their  minds  and  bodies  was  caused 
solely  by  their  inactive  life,  which  required  little 
exercise  of  either.  An  Indian,  named  Enriquez, 

*  1  Herrera,  Dec.  1.  lib.  10.  c.  16.  Ib.  Dec,  3.  lib.  4.  c.  9.  3  Irv. 
Col.  p.  224.  A.  D.  1522. 


62  HISTORY   OP   AMERICA.  [CH.  1* 

the  son  of  a  Cacique,  had  been  bred  and  educated 
by  the  Franciscan  monks  established  in  the  town 
of  Verapaz,  in  the  province  of  Xaragua.  At  the 
age  of  manhood,  he  returned  to  his  people,  having 
been  taught  to  read  and  to  write,  and  instructed 
fully  in  the  religion  and  manners  of  the  Spaniards. 
He  married,  according  to  the  laws  of  the  church, 
an  Indian  girl  of  distinguished  lineage,  named 
Donna  Mencia.  His  tribe,  and  himself  as  its  head, 
owed  service  by  repartimiento  to  a  young  Spaniard 
called  Valenzuela,  to  whom  they  had  fallen  by  in 
heritance.  With  the  usual  wantonness  and  injus 
tice  of  his  countrymen,  Valenzuela  robbed  Enri- 
quez  of  a  favourite  mare,  and  violated  the  person 
of  his  wife ;  and  threatened  the  injured  man,  who 
had  the  hardihood  to  complain,  with  chastisement 
by  the  lash.  The  outraged  Enriquez  applied  for 
redress  to  the  lieutenant-governor  of  the  province, 
who,  indignant  that  a  slave  should  dare  to  accuse 
his  master,  also  threatened  him  with  castigation 
and  imprisonment.  Still,  in  his  simplicity,  the 
Cacique  could  not  believe  that  the  justice  which 
he  had  probably  been  taught,  was  an  attribute  of 
Christianity,  could  not  be  found  among  its  profes 
sors,  and  he  carried  his  complaints  to  the  audience 
at  St.  Domingo.  But  he  found  the  judges  too  much 
engrossed  with  the  advancement  of  their  own  in 
terests,  to  attend  to  so  ordinary  a  matter  as  the  op 
pression  of  an  Indian,  and  they  discharged  their 
consciences  of  the  affair,  by  giving  him  a  letter  re 
commending  his  case  to  the  same  lieutenant,  by 
whom  he  had  been  already  dismissed.  He  met 
with  new  indignities  from  the  judge,  and  fresh  in 
juries  from  his  master. 

Enriquez  smothered  his  indignation  at  this  treat 
ment,  until  the  period  of  his  service,  which  com 
prized  certain  months  of  the  year  only,  had  passed. 
He  then  retired  to  his  home,  situated  in  a  rough 


CH.  1.]  SPANISH  DISCOVERIES.  63 

country,  impracticable  for  horse,  in  the  mountains 
of  Baoruco,  fifty  leagues  from  St.  Domingo,  where 
he  threw  off  the  yoke  of  his  master,  with  a  fixed 
determination  never  to  resume  it ;  and  his  handful 
of  Indians  nobly  resolved  to  share  his  fate.  When 
the  season  of  labour  returned,  and  the  Cacique  and 
his  tribe  did  not  appear,  Valenzuela,  with  an  armed 
party  of  eleven  Spaniards,  set  forth  to  drag  them  to 
their  toil,  and  punish  them  for  their  sedition.  But 
the  Indians  were  prepared  to  receive  them,  and 
armed  with  lances  pointed  with  spikes  and  fish 
bones,  with  bows,  arrows,  and  stones,  they  boldly 
rushed  to  the  encounter.  Enriquez  advancing,  ad 
dressed  Valenzuela,  and  bade  him  return,  for  that 
neither  he  nor  his  people  would  accompany  him. 
But  the  latter,  who  made  light  of  Indian  hostility, 
calling  him  dog,  and  using  other  terms  of  abuse,  im 
mediately  charged  upon  him.  The  Indians  fought 
courageously,  slew  two  of  the  Spaniards,  and  the 
rest  being  wounded  took  to  flight.  Enriquez  for 
bade  pursuit,  but  calling  out  to  his  former  master, 
said,  "  Be  thankful,  Valenzuela,  that  we  do  not 
slay  you.  Go,  and  do  not  return  hither,  or  beware 
of  us."  The  rebellion  was  soon  known  throughout 
the  island ;  the  Audiencia  dispatched  a  force  of 
seventy  or  eighty  men  to  subdue  him ;  who,  after  a 
weary  search  of  many  days,  discovered  and  en 
gaged  him,  but  were  defeated,  and  driven  back, 
with  considerable  loss  in  killed  and  wounded. 

This  success  increased  the  force  of  Enriquez  from 
less  than  one  hundred  to  more  than  three  hundred 
men,  to  whom  he  taught  the  use  of  the  Castilian 
arms,  and  modes  of  warfare.  His  policy  was  alto 
gether  defensive ;  for  which  he  had  a  double  mo 
tive,  a  desire  to  spare  the  effusion  of  blood,  and 
the  fear  of  exposing  himself,  by  quitting  the  moun 
tains,  to  the  attacks  of  a  disproportionate  force. 
With  a  forbearance  most  strongly  contrasted  with 
E2 


64  HISTOBV   OF   AMERICA.  [cH.  1. 

the  conduct  of  his  enemies,  he  commanded  his  In 
dians  never  to  slay  a  Spaniard  but  in  self-defence,  but 
to  possess  themselves  of  the  Spanish  arms  wherever 
they  could  obtain  them.  In  one  instance  only,  his 
commands  were  disobeyed  :  his  outposts  mistaking 
some  travellers  for  spies,  killed  them,  and  cap 
tured  fifteen  or  twenty  thousand  dollars  in  gold.  In 
a  short  time  his  Indians  became  so  expert  in  the 
use  of  all  the  Spanish  weapons,  except  the  arque 
bus,  that  they  engaged  their  enemies  man  to  man 
with  equal  advantage.  The  vigilance  of  the  chief 
never  slept.  Guards  and  sentinels  were  placed  at 
every  spot  by  which  the  enemy  might  enter  his 
country  ;  and  when  the  Spaniards  were  known  to 
be  in  the  vicinity,  he  removed  the  aged,  the  wo 
men,  the  children,  and  all  non-combatants,  to  secret 
places  in  the  mountains,  where  he  had  plantations 
and  stores  of  provisions  prepared,  leaving  a  guard, 
under  his  nephew,  a  stripling  distinguished  for  his 
courage,  to  hold  the  Spaniards  in  check.  If  the 
enemy  advanced,  the  Indians  gave  them  battle ; 
and  Enriquez,  by  the  skilful  use  of  his  reserve,  ob 
tained  the  victory  in  every  encounter.  He  took  his 
rest  in  the  early  part  of  the  night,  watched  by  two 
pages  armed  with  spears  and  swords ;  after  which 
he  rose,  counted  his  beads,  and  sent  his  rosary 
throughout  the  camp.  His  other  measures  for  se 
curity  displayed  much  forecast.  He  maintained 
several  plantations  dispersed  over  a  space  of  thirty 
or  forty  leagues,  at  which  he  alternately  bivouacked 
his  little  army.  And  the  better  to  conceal  his  po 
sition,  his  dogs  and  fowls  were  kept  at  a  distance 
from  the  main  body,  that  it  might  not  be  betrayed 
by  their  cries.  When  he  sent  out  a  party  to  hunt 
or  fish,  he  immediately  shifted  his  camp,  so  that  if 
any  of  them  were  taken  by  the  enemy,  they  were 
unable  to  give  definite  information  of  his  place  of 
refuge.  His  prudence  and  courage,  struck  terror 


CH.  1.]  SPANISH   DISCOVERIES.  55 

into  the  Spaniards,  and  they  marched  reluctantly 
against  a  foe  who  was  rarely  visible,  and  at  all  times 
invincible. 

Other  Caciques  were  stimulated  by  his  example 
to  cast  away  their  chains,  and  to  retort  the  mani 
fold  injuries  they  endured.  Ziguayo,  a  distinguish 
ed  chief  of  a  noted  tribe  called  Ziguayos,  inhabit 
ing  the  hills  northward  of  the  Royal  Vega,  collected 
a  few  desperate  associates,  with  whom  he  harassed 
a  wide  extent  of  country;  attacking  the  miners, 
the  hamlets,  and  country  houses,  and  slaying,  with 
out  mercy,  every  Spaniard  who  fell  into  his  hands, 
until  the  fame  of  his  cruelties  spread  terror  over 
the  whole  island.  His  career,  however,  was  short. 
He  was  wanting  in  the  ability  as  in  the  magnan 
imity  of  Enriquez  ;  and  he  suffered  himself  to  be 
surprized  by  a  troop  of  Spaniards,  who  slew  him 
and  captured  his  followers.  But  this  band  was 
scarce  subdued,  before  another  appeared,  under  a 
valiant  Indian,  Tamayo,  who  pursued  a  like  venge 
ful  course,  and  would  probably  have  shared  a  like 
fate  as  Ziguayo,  had  not  Enriquez,  who  condemned 
and  deplored  his  cruelties,  attached  him  to  his  own 
party,  thereby  protecting  him,  and  relieving  the 
country  from  his  merciless  forays. 

But  the  dread  alone  of  Indian  hostility,  now  be 
come  formidable,  depopulated  the  adjacent  districts, 
and  occasioned,  during  several  years,  much  anxiety 
and  expense  to  the  government.  In  1519,  one  of 
the  friars,  by  whom  Enriquez  had  been  educated, 
was  sent  to  him  with  offers  of  accommodation,  but 
the  heroic  Cacique,  recapitulating  the  wrongs  which 
his  nation  and  himself  had  suffered,  and  contrasting 
his  own  forbearance  and  humanity  with  the  cruelty 
of  his  oppressors,  declared  that  he  knew  the  Span 
iards  too  well  to  confide  in  them. 

For  ten  years,  every  effort  to  reduce  him  to  sub 
mission,  by  force  or  negotiation,  was  alike  unsuc- 


58  HISTORY   OP  AMERICA.  [OH.  1. 

cessful.  At  length,  in  1529,  Hernandez  de  San 
Miguel,  who  came  to  the  island  when  a  boy,  with 
the  first  admiral,  and  who  was  well  acquainted  with 
the  manners  of  the  Indians  and  their  modes  of  war 
fare,  as  well  as  with  the  passes  of  the  mountains, 
undertook,  at  the  head  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
men,  to  hunt  down  the  prudent  insurgent.  After 
a  pursuit  of  many  days,  during  which  the  chieftain 
easily  baffled  the  pursuer,  Enriquez  gave  him  an  in 
terview,  in  a  spot  which  he  selected  for  the  pur 
pose.  Two  mountain  peaks  arose  precipitously  to 
a  great  height  near  to  each  other,  yet  separated  by 
a  profound  chasm,  through  which  flowed  a  deep 
and  rapid  stream.  Upon  these  summits,  in  mid 
air,  where  the  warriors  could  hear  but  not  approach 
each  other,  they  opened  a  conference,  in  which 
terms  of  peace  were  proposed  by  San  Miguel,  and 
accepted  by  Enriquez ;  the  former  exhibiting  full 
powers  from  the  government  for  this  purpose.  It 
was  stipulated,  that  the  chief  and  his  followers 
might  dwell  in  full  freedom  and  independence,  in 
such  part  of  the  island  as  they  might  select,  re 
fraining  from  all  violence  to  the  Spaniards,  and  re 
storing  the  gold  which  had  been  taken  from  certain 
travellers,  as  we  have  already  mentioned.  Time 
and  place  were  appointed,  at  which  the  parties 
should  meet,  accompanied  each  by  eight  attendants, 
for  the  delivery  of  the  gold  and  the  ratification  of 
the  treaty.  Enriquez  repaired  to  the  place,  on  the 
sea  shore,  and  erected  a  bower,  in  which  he  placed 
the  gold,  and  provisions  for  both  parties.  San  Mi 
guel  too  kept  the  appointment ;  and  that  he  might 
better  celebrate  the  peace,  he  caused  a  vessel  which 
accidentally  appeared  on  the  coast  to  be  moored 
near  the  shore,  whilst  the  crew  marched  in  proces 
sion,  to  the  sound  of  musical  instruments.  The 
chief  beholding  this  numerous  force  approach, 
whose  good  faith  he  had  but  too  much  reason  to 


CH.  1.]  SPANISH   DISCOVERIES.  57 

doubt,  retired  to  his  fastnesses,  commanding  his  at 
tendants  to  receive  the  Spaniards  with  cordiality, 
to  deliver  up  the  treasure,  and  to  say  that  indispo 
sition  prevented  him  from  keeping  his  engagement 
in  person.  San  Michael  regretted  much  that  the 
conclusion  of  the  treaty  should  be  thus  postponed ; 
but  more,  perhaps,  that  he  had  failed  to  carry  En- 
riquez  in  chains  to  St.  Domingo.  He  sent  him, 
however,  a  friendly  message  ;  and  the  truce,  though 
not  formally  ratified,  was  preserved  unbroken  for 
four  years,  when  a  permanent  treaty  was  concluded, 
by  which  the  intrepid  chieftain  accomplished  the 
freedom  and  independence  of  himself  and  his 
tribe.* 

XXXIX.  About  the  period  of  the  Viceroy's  re 
turn  to  St.  Domingo,f  some  attention  was  given  to 
the  reduction  and  colonization  of  other  islands  in 
the  West  Indies.  The  licentiate,  Antonio  de  Ser 
rano,  an  inhabitant  of  St.  Domingo,  accompanied 
the  admiral  from  Spain,  with  authority  to  colonize 
the  island  of  Guadaloupe;  bearing  also  the  com 
mission  of  governor  of  the  islands  of  Montserrat, 
Barbadoes,  Antigua,  Desseada,  Dominica,  and  Mar 
tinique,  all  lying  near  Guadaloupe,  and  forming 
part  of  the  group  commonly  known  as  the  Carib 
Islands.  He  was  well  provided  with  means  to  ren 
der  his  delegated  power  effectual,  but  he  appears 
to  have  made  little  or  no  use  of  them.:}: 

*  Herrera.  t  1520. 

|  Herrera,  Dec.  11.  lib.  9.  c.vii. 


58  HISTOEY    OF   AMERICA.  [CH.  2. 


CHAPTER  II. 

I.  Efforts  for  the  exploration  of  the  American  con 
tinent.  . .  .II.  Voyage  of  Solis  and  Pinzon. . . . 
III.  Terms  of  grants  made  to  Ojeda  and  Nicuesa. 
. . .  .IV.  'Singular  instructions  given  to  Ojeda  and 
Nicuesa. . .  .V.  Unfortunate  attempt  of  Ojeda  at 
Carthagena. . .  .VI.  Relieved  by  Nicuesa,  and 
proceeds  to  the  gulf  of  Uraba. . .  .VII.  Misfor 
tunes  there. . .  .VIII.  Ojeda  returns  to  Hispaniola 
for  aid.  His  death. . .  .IX.  Nicuesa  proceeds  to 

Veragua,   is  deserted   by  his  lieutenant X. 

Loses  his  vessel — his  great  sufferings. . .  .XI. 
Settles  at  Nombre  de  Dios. . .  .XII.  Sufferings  of 
the  colonists  here.  . .  .XIII.  Proceedings  of  the 
colony  of  Ojeda.  The  colonists  remove  to  Da 
rien.  . .  .XIV.  Establishment  of  the  colony  of  San 
ta  Maria.  Balboa  chosen  Alcade.  Fate  of  Ni 
cuesa.  . .  .XV.  Expels  Enciso.  His  measures  for 
supporting  his  power. . .  .XVI.  Engagement  of 
Pizarro  with  the  natives. . .  .XVII.  Balboa  invades 
the  territories,  and  conquers  the  Cacique  of  Ca- 
reta. . .  .XVIII.  Visits  the  district  of  Comagret 
and  receives  information  of  the  South  Sea. . . . 
XIX.  Preparations  of  Balboa  for  visiting  the 
South  Sea. . .  .XX.  Subjugates  the  country  around 
Darien. . .  .XXI.  Dispatches  agents  to  Spain. . . . 
XXII.  Disturbances  in  the  colony XXIII.  Bal 
boa  resolves  to  cross  to  the  South  Sea.  Difficul 
ties  of  the  undertaking. . .  .XXIV.  Reaches  the 
South  Sea. . .  .XXV.  Discoveries  on  the  coast. . . . 
XXVI.  Balboa  returns  to  Darien. ..  .XXVII. 
Disposition  of  the  Court  towards  Balboa. . . . 
XXVIII.  Ferdinand  resolves  to  send  succours  to 
Darien,  under  Pedrarias  Davila. . .  .XXIX.  Fur 
ther  expeditions  of  Balboa. . .  .XXX.  Arrival  of 


CH.  2.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  59 

Pedrarias  at  Darien. . .  .XXXI.  The  colony  is 
distressed  by  famine  and  pestilence. . .  .XXXII. 
Expeditions  under  the  officers  of  Pedrarias. . . . 
XXXIILDissensions  between  him  and  Balboa.  .^  . 
XXXIV.  Expedition  of  Morales  to  the  South 
Sea. . .  .XXXV.  Manner  of  the  pearl  fishery  at 
Panama. . .  .XXXVI.  Confederacy  of  Indians 
against  Morales. . .  .XXXVII.  Expedition  of  Gus- 
man  to  Panama. . .  .XXXVIII.  Unfortunate  ex 
cursion  of  Vallejo. . .  .XXXIX.  Destruction  of  a 
detachment  of  Spaniards  under  Bezarra. . .  .XL. 
Panic  state  of  the  Colony. . .  .XLI.  Expedition  of 
Badajos. . .  .XLII.  Is  defeated  with  great  loss  by 
the  Cacique  Paris. . .  .XLIII.  Expedition  of  Pe 
drarias  171  search  of  Bezarra. . .  .XLIV.  Effort 
of  Espinosa  to  recover  the  treasure  lost  by  Bada 
jos.  . .  .XLV.  Proceedings  of  Espinosa  in  the  Isth 
mus.  . .  .XLVI.  Accommodation  between  Pedra 
rias  and  Balboa.  The  latter  resumes  his  design 

on   the    South    Sea XLVII.    Transports     the 

frames  for  ships  across  the  Isthmus. . .  .XLVIII. 
Balboa  is  accused  of  sedition,  and  is  put  to  death 
by  the  command  of  Pedrarias. . .  .XLIX.  Giles 
Gonzales  prepares  an  expedition  on  the  South 
Sea. . .  .L.  The  towns  of  Panama  and  Nombre  de 
Dios  built. . .  .LI.  Arrival  and  death  of  Lope  de 
Sosa,  at  Darien. . .  .LII.  Discovery  of  Yucatan, 
by  Frances  Hernandez  Cordova. . .  .LIII.  His  re 
ception  by  the  natives.  Returns  to  Cuba.  His 
death. . .  .LIV.  Valasquez  sends  a  second  expedi 
tion  to  Yucatan,  under  Grijalva. . .  .LV.  Discov 
ery  of  the  island  of  Cozumel. . .  .LVI.  Traditions 
relative  to  the  crosses  found  in  Yucatan. . .  .LVII. 
Intercourse  of  Grijalva  with  the  natives. . .  .LVIII. 
Courtesy  of  the  natives  by  order  of  Montezuma. . . . 
LIX.  Human  sacrifices  in  the  temples. . .  .LX. 
Return  of  Grijalva  to  Cuba.  He  is  unjustly 
treated  by  Valasqucz. .  .  .LXI.  Magellan  pro- 


60  HISTORY   OF   AMERICA.  [CH.  2. 

poses  to  discover  a  passage  through  the  western 
continent  to  the  South  Sea.  His  proposal  is  ac 
cepted  by  Charles  V. . .  .LXII.  Departs  from  San 
Lucar,  and  arrives  at  La  Plata. . .  .LXIII.  Win 
ters  in  49^  degrees  south  latitude.  Mutiny  in  the 
squadron.  Promptly  quelled  by  the  vigour  of 
Magellan. . .  .LXIV.  Severity  of  the  cold.  Large 
stature  of  the  inhabitants. . .  .LXV.  Loses  one  of 
his  vessels.  Discovers  the  strait  which  bears  his 
name. . .  .LXVI.  His  progress  through  the  strait. 
. . .  .LXVII.  Is  deserted  by  the  San  Antonia,  one 
of  his  vessels. . .  .LXVIII.  Passes  into  the  South 
ern  ocean.  Discovers  the  unfortunate  islands. . . . 
LXIX.  Discovers  the  Philippine  islands. . .  .LXX. 
Is  slain  in  combat  with  the  natives. . .  .LXXI.  The 
remainder  of  the  squadron  reach  the  Moluccas. . . . 
LXXII.  The  ships  lade  with  spices  ;  and  the  Vic 
tory  returns  to  Spain. 

HAVING,  in  the  preceding  chapter,  noticed  the 
chief  events  connected  with  the  history  of  the 
islands  of  the  New  World  previous  to  the  year 
1520,  we  shall,  in  the  present,  trace  the  progress 
of  Spanish  enterprize  upon  the  continent  until  the 
commencement  of  the  conquests  of  Mexico  and 
Peru.  Each  of  those  great  events  merits  separate 
consideration. 

I.  We  have  already  remarked,  that  the  rich  re 
turns  from  Hispaniola,  induced  Ferdinand  to  be 
stow  his  attention  on  further  discoveries.*  Since 
the  last  voyage  of  Columbus,  no  effort  had  been 
made  to  explore  and  colonize  the  wealthy  countries 
he  had  visited  on  the  continent.  The  most  expe 
rienced  navigators  were  now  summoned  to  court, 
among  whom  were  John  Diaz  de  Solis,  Vincent 
Yanez  Pinzon,  John  de  la  Coza,  and  Americus 

*  A.  D.  1508. 


CII.  2.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  61 

Vespucius  ;  by  whose  advice  the  king  resolved  to 
explore  more  fully  the  coasts  of  Brazil,  and  to 
colonize  the  shores  of  the  continent  of  the  isthmus 
westward  of  Paria.  The  former  enterprize  was 
committed  to  Solis  and  Pinzon,  whilst  the  latter 
was  undertaken  by  De  la  Cosa,  Nicuesa,  Ojeda,  and 
others.  The  science  and  experience  of  Vespucius, 
procured  for  him  a  more  honourable  and  important 
commission.  He  was  established  at  Seville,  with 
the  title  of  Chief  Pilot,  and  charged  with  making 
sea  charts,  and  the  general  direction  of  the  navi 
gation  to  the  Indies.  From  the  close  connexion 
which  this  office  gave  him  with  the  principal  af 
fairs  of  the  New  World,  it  has  been  supposed,  that 
he  obtained  the  honour  of  giving  it  his  name,  an 
honour  justly  due  to  Columbus  only.* 

II.  Two  caravels  were  supplied  for  the  Brazilian 
voyage.  The  expedition,  whilst  at  sea,  was  under  the 
command  of  Solis  ;  but  when  employed  on  land,  was 
subject  to  the  orders  of  Pinzon.    This  unwise  divi 
sion  of  authority  marred  the  enterprize.    The  ves 
sels  sailed  by  the  Cape  de  Verd  islands  directly  to 
Cape  St.  Augustine,  and  thence,  coasted  the  conti 
nent  to  the  40th  degree  of  south   latitude.     The 
Spaniards  landed  frequently,  erected  crosses,  and 
took  possession  of  the  country  in  the  most  solemn 
manner.     Upon  their  return,  an  inquiry  was  insti 
tuted  under  the  direction  of  the  Casa  de  Contrac 
tion,  or  Board  of  Trade,  into  the  merits  of  the  dis 
pute  between  the  commanders.     Solis  being  found 
in  the  wrong,  was  committed  to  prison,  but  Pinzon 
was  rewarded  by  the  king.f 

III.  Although  earnestly  desirous  to  gain  a  per 
manent  footing  on  the  continent,  it  was  no  part  of 
Ferdinand's  policy  to  supply  funds  for  that  pur- 

*  Herrera,  Dec.  1.  lib.  7.  c.  1. 

t  Herrera,  Dec.  1.  lib.  7.  ch.  9.    A.  D.  1508. 

VOL.  II.  F 


62  HISTORY    OF   AMERICA.  [cH.  2. 

pose.  Nor  was  such  aid  necessary;  the  privileges, 
in  the  new  countries,  which  he  offered  to  success 
ful  adventurers,  being  a  sufficient  inducement  to 
enterprize.  Ojeda  readily  tendered  his  services  ; 
and  though  poor,  his  character  and  experience  gain 
ed  him  a  partner  in  Juan  de  la  Cosa,  who  advanced 
the  requisite  money.  Diego  de  Nicuesa,  who  had 
accompanied  Ovando  to  Hispaniola,  and  had  there 
acquired  a  large  fortune,  also  formed  the  design  of 
establishing  himself  on  Terra  Firma.  The  king 
erected  two  governments  on  the  continent.  One 
extending  from  Cape  de  Vela  to  the  bay  of  Uraba, 
or  gulf  of  Darien,  was  called  New  Andalusia,  and 
allotted  to  Ojeda;  the  other,  reaching  from  the 
gulf  of  Darien  to  cape  Gracias  a  Dios,  was  named 
Golden  Castile,  (Castilla  del  Oro)  and  granted  to 
Nicuesa;  and  to  both,  permission  was  given  to  draw 
provisions  from  Jamaica.  The  conditions  of  these 
grants  were, — that  each  grantee  should  erect  two 
forts  within  his  government ;  that  he  should  pos 
sess  the  mines  he  might  discover,  paying  to  the 
king,  for  the  first  year,  one-tenth  of  the  product, 
and  gradually  and  annually  increasing  the  royal 
portion,  until  it  reached  one-fifth ;  that  he  might 
freight  vessels  and  obtain  provisions  at  Hispaniola  ; 
might  grant  a  free  passage  for  two  hundred  men 
from  Spain,  and  six  hundred  from  that  island  ;  that 
he  should  exhibit  all  the  gold  obtained  by  purchase 
or  otherwise  to  the  king's  officers;  that  he  and  his 
associates  should  be  free  from  taxes  for  four  years  ; 
paying  to  the  crown,  during  the  first,  one-fifth,  and 
during  the  three  others,  one-fourth  of  their  gains  ; 
that  the  settlers  in  the  government  might  return  to 
Spain,  and  sell  their  estates ;  that  each  commander 
might  procure  from  Hispaniola  forty  Indians  skilled 
in  seeking  gold,  who  might  not  only  exercise,  but 
teach  others,  their  art;  and,  finally,  that  neither 
should  carry  out  persons  not  subjects  of  Spain,  and 


ca.  2.]  SPANISH  DISCOVERIES.  63 

who  had  not  entered  into  obligations  before  the  bish 
op  Fonseca  to  fulfil  their  capitulations.  Juan  de  la 
Cosa  was  appointed  the  lieutenant  of  Ojeda,  and 
received  the  office  of  chief  Alguazil,  with  survivor 
ship  to  his  son.* 

IV.  The  instructions  given  to  Ojeda  and  Nicu- 
esa  were  of  the  most  extraordinary  character ;  and 
as  they  contain  a  formal  exposition  of  the  Spanish 
right  to  the  possession  of  the  islands  and  continent 
of  America,  richly  merit  our  attention.  These 
commanders  were  required,  as  servants  of  the  kings 
of  Castile  and  Leon,  the  conquerors  of  barbarous 
nations,  to  declare  to  the  Indians,  that  God,  one 
and  eternal,  had  created  the  heavens  and  the  earth, 
and  one  man  and  one  woman,  from  whom  they  and 
all  men  were  descended.  But  as,  during  the  long 
period  of  more  than  five  thousand  years,  the  hu 
man  race  had,  because  one  country  could  not  con 
tain  them,  been  scattered  over  the  face  of  the 
globe,  God  had  given  absolute  authority  over  the 
whole  to  one  man,  named  St.  Peter,  whom  he  com 
manded  to  reside  at  Rome,  and  to  bear  the  name 
of  Pope,  which  signifies  admirable,  great  father, 
and  guardian ;  and  that  this  power  had  been  con 
tinued  to  his  successors,  and  would  be  so  con 
tinued  to  the  end  of  the  world :  that  one  of  these 
popes  had  granted  to  the  Catholic  king  Ferdinand, 
and  to  his  queen  Isabella,  and  their  successors,  all 
the  islands  and  continents  of  the  ocean  sea,  as  was 
fully  expressed  in  certain  deeds,  which  they  would 
exhibit,  if  requested :  that  most  of  the  islands,  where 
his  title  had  been  declared,  had  recognized  it,  and 
had  obeyed  the  religious  men  sent  by  the  king  to 
instruct  the  inhabitants  in  his  holy  faith  ;  who,  hav 
ing  become  Christians,  were  received  under  his 
most  gracious  protection,  and  were  treated  like  his 

*  Ilerrera,  Dec.  1.  lib.  7.  c.  6,  7.    A.  D.  1508, 


64  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [cH.  2. 

other  subjects  and  vassals.  The  commanders  were 
also  instructed,  to  proclaim  to  the  nations  of  Terra 
Firma,  that  they  also  were  bound  to  like  obedience  ; 
and  that  if,  after  due  time  for  reflection,  they  ac 
knowledged  the  supremacy  of  the  church,  the  pope 
in  his  own  right,  and  his  majesty  by  appointment, 
as  the  sovereign  lord  of  all  these  countries,  and 
consented  to  receive  the  holy  doctrines  of  the 
Catholic  religion,  his  majesty  would  extend  to  them 
his  love,  and  would  leave  their  wives  and  children 
free  from  servitude,  and  themselves  in  the  enjoy 
ment  of  all  they  possessed,  in  the  same  manner  as 
lie  had  done  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  islands ;  and 
would  bestow  upon  them  many  other  privileges,  ex 
emptions,  and  rewards.  But  that,  in  case  of  refusal 
or  malicious  delay  to  obey  these  injunctions,  he 
would  enter  their  country  with  the  horrors  of  war, 
subject  the  inhabitants  to  the  yoke  of  the  church 
and  crown,  carry  them,  their  wives,  and  children 
into  slavery,  and  do  them  all  the  mischief  possible, 
as  rebellious  subjects.  And  that  all  the  bloodshed 
and  calamities  which  might  follow  should  be  im 
puted,  not  to  his  majesty  or  his  agents,  but  to  their 
own  disobedience.  Orders  were  also  given,  that  the 
making  of  this  proclamation  should  be  certified  in 
due  form.* 

Shall  we  admire  most  the  justice  of  this  mani 
festo,  the  strength  of  the  title  which  it  sets  forth, 
or  the  grave  adherence  to  municipal  form  which  at 
tended  its  proclamation  ?  Had  the  Indians  known 
the  language  of  the  proclamation,  had  they  under 
stood  the  nature  of  the  services  demanded  of  them, 
they  must  have  deemed  the  prince  most  gracious 
and  most  worthy  of  obedience,  who  mercifully  and 
disinterestedly  proffered  to  them,  the  unburthened 
denizens  of  the  forest,  the  enjoyment  of  liberty, 

*  Herrcra,  Dec.  1.  lib.  7.  c  14. 


CH.  2.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  66 

and  full  participation  of  the  blessings  showered  on 
the  new-made  Christians  of  Hispaniola.  Such, 
three  centuries  ago,  were  the  absurdities  to  which 
kings,  princes,  bishops,  soldiers,  and  scholars  lent 
themselves,  in  the  most  enlightened  countries  of 
Europe. 

V.  Juan  de  la  Cosa  having  fitted  out  one  ship 
and  two  brigantines,  sailed  with  about  two  hundred 
men  for  St.  Domingo;  whither  Ojeda  had  preceded 
him  ;  and  had  engaged  Martin  Fernandez  Enciso,  a 
rich  lawyer  of  the  island,  to  follow  him  with  pro 
vision,  and  to  accept  the  commission  of  his  alcade 
mayor.  Nicuesa  sailed  soon  after,  with  six  vessels, 
taking  the  island  of  Santa  Cruz  in  his  way,  where 
he  seized  above  a  hundred  Indians,  whom  he  sold 
for  slaves,  alleging  that  he  had  the  king's  license 
for  this  act,  because  they  were  cannibals.    Among 
the   enterprizing  spirits  engaged  by  Ojeda,  were 
Francisco  Pizarro  and  Hernando  Cortes,  who  soon 
after  filled  the  world  with  their  fame.     The  former 
accompanied  the  expedition,  but  the  latter  was  pre 
vented  from  embarking  by  illness.     Ojeda  arrived 
in  a  few  days  at  Carthagena,  called  by  the  Indians 
Caramarri.     The  natives  met  him  in  arms,  having 
been  provoked  to  hostility  by  the  injuries  they  had 
received  from  Christopher  Guerra,  and  others,  who 
had   lately  visited   their  shores.     In  vain   did  the 
notary  proclaim  the  well-deduced  right  of  Ferdi 
nand  to  their  allegiance,  the  pious  priest  explain 
the  doctrines  of  his  faith,  or  the  merchant  tempt  by 
his  seductive  commerce.     The  knowledge  which 
the  Indians  had  gained  of  their  European  visitors, 
rendered  them  firm  in  their  determination  to  pre 
serve  their  independence ;  and  they  replied  to  all 
these  instances,  by  their  arrows  tinged  with  poison, 
which  were  delivered  with  equal  force  and  bravery 
by  both   sexes.     De  la  Cosa  proposed  to  remove 
their  colony  to  the  mouth  of  the  Uraba,  in  the  gulf 
F  2 


66  HISTORY   OP   AMERICA.  [dl«  2. 

of  Darien,  where  the  inhabitants  were  of  milder 
temperament.  But  Ojeda,  daring  and  rash,  and  su- 
perstitiously  presuming  on  his  good  fortune,  which 
had  conducted  him  unscathed  through  many  a  battle 
with  Moor  and  Indian,  preferred  recourse  to  the  al 
ternative  given  in  the  royal  instructions.  His  first 
efforts  were  attended  with  the  usual  success  of  the 
Spaniards  in  Indian  conflicts.  The  natives  were 
destroyed  by  fire  and  sword,  driven  from  their  vil 
lages,  or  reduced  to  captivity.  But  the  confidence 
of  the  victors  led  to  negligence  ;  and  whilst  Ojeda 
and  De  la  Cosa,  at  the  head  of  seventy  men,  were 
seeking  the  enemy  in  a  careless  and  scattered  man 
ner,  they  were  assailed  by  an  overwhelming  force, 
and  the  former,  and  a  private  soldier,  were  the  only 
persons  of  this  party  who  escaped  with  life.  De  la 
Cosa  was  pierced  with  darts,  which  bristled  his 
body  like  that  of  a  porcupine.  The  shield  of  Ojeda 
was  marked  with  three  hundred  arrows  which  he 
had  received  upon  it,  and  he  was  found,  by  a  party 
from  the  ships,  faint  and  exhausted,  concealed 
among  the  mangroves  on  the  sea  shore.* 

VI.  From  this  critical  state  he  was  relieved  by 
the  arrival  of  Nicuesa,  with  seven  ships  and  be 
tween  seven  arid  eight  hundred  men.  Forgetting 
instantly  a  quarrel  which  he  had  had  with  Ojeda  at 
St.  Domingo,  relative  to  the  boundaries  of  their 
governments,  this  commander  offered  his  forces  to 
seek  instant  vengeance  on  the  natives.  Mounted 
on  horseback,  the  two  leaders,  followed  by  four  hun 
dred  men  instructed  to  give  no  quarter,  surprized 
the  town  of  Yurbaco,  reduced  it  to  ashes,  and  mas 
sacred  the  whole  of  the  inhabitants.  Ojeda  having 
obtained  a  large  plunder  here,  proceeded  to  the 
gulf  of  Uraba,  where,  after  a  fruitless  search  for 
the  river  Darien,  said  by  the  Indians  to  abound  in 

*  Herrera,  Dec.  1.  lib.  8.  c.  15.  A.  D.  1510. 


CII.  2.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  67 

srold,  he  planted  the  town  of  San  Sabastian,  and 
dispatched  one  of  his  vessels  to  Saint  Domingo,  to 
advise  Enciso  of  his  position,  to  secure  the  treasure 
and  slaves  he  had  captured,  and  to  obtain  supplies 
of  provision  and  ammunition,  and  a  reinforcement 
of  men.* 

VII.  Having  erected  a  fortress,  and  placed  a  gar 
rison  therein,  he  led  the  rest  of  his  people  into  the 
neighbouring  rich  and  populous  district  of  Tirufi, 
which  was  governed  by  an  active,  courageous,  and 
vigilant  chief,  who  not  only  drove  the  Spaniards 
back,  but  besieged  them  in  the  fort,  where  famine 
inflicted  on  them  the  severest  sufferings.     They 
were  relieved  from  the  most  imminent  danger  of 
starvation,  by  the  arrival  of  a  vessel  from  Hispan- 
iola,  commanded  by  Bernardin  de  Talavera,  a  man 
of  desperate  fortunes,  who,  excited  by  the  booty 
sent  by  Ojeda,  had  stolen  her  from  Cape  Tiburon, 
when  laden  with  provisions  for  St.  Domingo,  and 
had  manned  her  with  seventy  men  as  reckless  as 
himself.     This  relief  was  temporary  only  ;  and  it 
became  necessary  to  make  frequent  sallies  to  pro 
cure  food.     In  one  of  these,  the  hitherto  invulne 
rable  Ojeda  fell  into  an  ambush,  and  was  wounded 
by   a  poisoned  arrow,  which  passed   through    his 
thigh.     He  became  dejected  upon  this  misfortune, 
believing  immediate   death  inevitable  ;    yet  with 
resolute  spirit  he  caused  the  actual  cautery  to  be 
applied  to  his  wound,  and  though  reduced  by  vio 
lent  fever,  he  eventually  was  restored  to  health. 
Tire  men  who  had  hitherto  borne  their  misfortunes 
patiently,  now  openly  proclaimed  their  discontent ; 
accused  Ojeda  of  appropriating  to  himself  an  un 
due  portion  of  their  provisions,  and  resolved   to 
seize  on  the  brigaritines,  and  depart  for  Hispaniola. 
This  measure  was  prevented  only  by  the  proposal 

*  Herrera,  Dec.  1.  lib.  vii.  c.  16.  A.  D.  1510. 


68  HISTORY    OF   AMERICA.  [CH.  2. 

of  Ojeda  to  return  himself  to  St.  Domingo  for  aid, 
in  the  vessel  of  Talavera,  and  in  case  he  should  be 
detained  longer  than  fifty  days,  that  the  colonists 
might  abandon  the  expedition.  The  command  of 
the  garrison  was  given  to  Pizarro,  until  he  should 
be  relieved  by  Enciso,  whose  arrival  was  hourly 
expected.  Ojeda  embarked  with  the  crew  of  Tala 
vera,  who  though  obnoxious  to  the  severest  penal 
ties  of  the  law,  chose  rather  to  expose  themselves 
to  any  fate  in  St.  Domingo,  than  to  share  that  of  the 
adventurers  of  New  Andalusia. 

VIII.  Ojeda  was  pursued  in  this  voyage  by  mis 
fortunes,  and  the  evils  flowing  from  his  impetuous 
temper.  He  was  scarce  at  sea,  when  he  quarrelled 
with  Talavera  for  the  command  of  the  ship ;  and 
that  officer  was  compelled  to  confine  him,  that  he 
might  preserve  subordination.  Being  opposed  by 
adverse  winds  and  currents,  and  unable  to  reach 
Hispaniola,  they  put  into  Cuba.  The  once  peace 
ful  and  hospitable  natives  had  learned  to  dread  the 
white  man's  approach,  and  instead  of  ministering 
to  his  wants,  sought  to  expel  him  from  the  shore. 
To  keep  the  sea  without  provisions  was  impossible, 
and  therefore  the  Spaniards  resolved  to  make  their 
way  by  land  in  the  direction  of  Hispaniola.  The 
toils  and  perils  of  this  journey  are  scarce  surpassed 
in  any  of  the  laborious  enterprizes  of  the  Europe 
ans  in  America.  After  a  march  of  a  hundred 
leagues,  they  entered  a  marsh,  into  which  they  sunk 
knee-deep  at  every  step.  Presuming  that  it  was 
not  extensive,  they  continued  their  route,  but  the 
marsh  grew  wider  and  deeper,  and  at  length,  after 
eight  days  of  incredible  suffering,  from  hunger, 
thirst,  and  exposure  to  the  rays  of  the  sun,  and  the 
chills  of  the  night,  they  found  themselves  in  the 
centre  of  a  bog,  where  the  water  reached  above 
their  waists.  The  spirit  of  Ojeda  encouraged  and 
sustained  his  less  etherial  companions.  He  con- 


CH.  2.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  69 

fided  in  the  protection  of  the  Virgin,  to  whom  he 
was  devoted,  and  whose  picture,  given  to  him  by 
the  bishop  Fonseca,  he  constantly  carried  about 
him.  When  he  stopped  to  repose  among  the  roots 
of  the  mangrove  trees,  he  hung  the  picture  from 
the  branches,  and  kneeling  before  it,  called  upon 
his  followers  to  join  him  in  his  adorations.  Full 
thirty  days  were  employed  in  crossing  this  morass, 
which  was  thirty  leagues  in  extent.  At  length 
thirty-five  of  the  seventy  men  who  had  left  the 
ship,  reached  the  fast  land,  and  an  Indian  village ; 
the  remainder  had  perished  by  famine,  were  drowned 
in  crossing  the  streams  which  impeded  their  way,  or 
were  suffocated  in  the  mud.  The  survivors  were 
indebted  for  their  lives  to  the  humanity  of  the  In 
dians,  who  supplied  them  with  food.  Ojeda  also 
obtained  from  them  a  canoe,  by  which  he  was  ena 
bled  to  communicate  with  Juan  de  Esquibel,  in  Ja 
maica.  It  was  the  fortune  of  Ojeda  to  make  ene 
mies  by  his  violent  temper,  and  to  be  punished  by 
the  pardon  of  those  he  had  injured.  He  had  threat 
ened  Esquibel  with  death,  should  he  settle  in  Ja 
maica  ;  and  he  was  now  to  receive  from  him  the 
means  of  his  own  preservation.  A  caravel  brought 
the  desponding  Spaniards  from  Cuba  to  Jamaica, 
whence  Ojeda  returned  to  St.  Domingo.  Talavera, 
dreading  the  punishment  due  to  his  offences,  did 
not  venture  thither ;  but  he  did  not  escape  the  ven 
geance  of  the  law.  The  admiral,  Don  Diego  Co 
lumbus,  soon  after  caused  him  to  be  taken  and 
hanged.  The  remnant  of  Ojeda's  history  is  shortly 
told.  He  spent  several  months  vainly  soliciting 
his  countrymen  for  means  to  re-establish  his  colony. 
He  narrowly  escaped  assassination,  by  his  activity 
and  skill  in  the  use  of  his  sword,  having  been  as 
sailed  by  several  enemies  at  once.  But  he  soon 
after  died  a  natural  death ;  and  being  destitute  of 
means  to  pay  the  expense  of  his  funeral,  his  body 


70  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [oil.  2. 

was  buried  by  his  direction  at  the  door  of  the  Fran 
ciscan  monastery. 

IX.  Before  we  return  to  the  colony  at  St.  Sebas 
tian,  it  will  be  proper  to  follow  Nicuesa  through 
the  scenes  of  his  eventful  fortune.    After  the  sack 
of  Yurbaco,  he  directed  his  course   for  Veragua. 
Selecting  a  light  caravel  for  himself,  and  two  brig- 
antines  adapted  for  running  along  shore,  he  took 
with  him  his  lieutenant  Lope  de  Olano,  who  had 
been  an  active  partisan  and  apt  disciple  of  Roldan, 
and  commanded  that  the  remainder  of  the  squad 
ron  should  keep  out  at  sea.  Near  the  place  of  their 
destination,  and  during  a  violent  storm,  Olano,  with 
the  brigantines,  accidentally  or  designedly  parted 
from  the  caravel.     He  sought  the  ships,  which  be 
ing  too  much  worm-eaten  to  keep  the  ocean,  had 
entered  the  river  Chagre,  and  landed  their  cargoes. 
He  gave  out  that  Nicuesa  had  foundered  in   the 
tempest,  from  which  he  had  himself  miraculously 
escaped ;  and  assuming  the  absolute  command  of 
the  expedition,  led  it  to  the  mouth  of  the  river 
Belen,  four  leagues  from  Veragua;  leaving  the  ships 
at  a  point  of  land  where  they  were  exposed  to  the 
storms  so  common  to  the  coast.  They  soon  became 
rotten,  and  were  broken  up  afterwards  by  the  Span 
iards.     Huts  for  temporary  protection  having  been 
erected,  the  shores  of  the  sea,  and  the  river  Vera 
gua,  were  explored  for  a  proper  site  on  which  to 
establish  the  colony.     Meanwhile  the  adventurers, 
disgusted  with  the  expedition,  were  visited  by  the 
diseases  of  the  climate,  and  were  finally  overtaken 
by  famine.     Many  perished.     The  survivors  were 
saved   from  desperation  by  the  construction  of  a 
caravel  from  the  timbers  of  the  decayed  ships,  in 
which  Olano  falsely  declared  his  intention  to  re 
turn  to  Hispaniola. 

X.  Nicuesa,  no  longer  perceiving  the  brigan 
tines,  supposed  them  to  have  been  swallowed  up 


CH.  2.]  SPANISH   DISCOVERIES.  71 

by  the  waves,  and  running  his  vessel  for  the  shore, 
entered  a  river  then  swollen  by  the  rains.  In  a 
few  hours  the  torrent  subsiding,  left  the  caravel 
stranded  on  the  bar,  where  she  soon  went  to  pieces. 
Her  crew  escaped  in  the  most  destitute  condition. 
The  commander,  followed  by  his  people,  set  forth 
in  the  boat  to  seek  his  way  to  Veragua,  along  the 
sea-shore,  exposed  to  fatigue,  famine,  and  the  hos 
tility  of  the  natives,  and  without  any  definite  idea 
of  the  situation  of  the  place  which  he  sought.  In 
their  passage  across  a  large  bay,  the  adventurers 
landed  upon  a  desert  island.  Four  seamen,  in 
whose  charge  the  boat  had  been  left,  becoming 
hopeless  of  relief  by  other  means,  resolved  to  leave 
their  companions,  and  seek  the  ships,  which  they 
believed  to  be  still  on  the  coast.  Fortunately,  they 
retraced  their  steps,  and  continued  their  route  to 
the  westward ;  and  after  escaping  many  dangers, 
discovered  Olano  and  his  party,  to  whom  they  com 
municated  the  unwelcome  tidings  of  the  existence 
of  their  commander  and  his  wretched  companions. 
A  brigantine,  with  such  provisions  as  could  be 
spared  from  a  scanty  store,  was  dispatched  to  their 
relief;  but  many  had  already  perished,  and  the  sur 
vivors  were  so  weak  as  to  be  unable  to  stand  erect. 
Immediately  on  his  arrival,  Nicuesa  charged  Olano 
with  treachery,  and  ordered  him  into  confinement, 
designing  to  send  him  to  Spain  for  trial ;  and  be 
lieving  that  those  who  obeyed  his  orders  were  im 
plicated  in  his  crime,  he  treated  them  with  great 
severity.  The  difficulty  in  procuring  food  was  much 
increased  by  this  addition  of  consumers ;  and  to 
such  dire  extremity  were  the  adventurers  reduced, 
that  a  party  of  thirty^vho  were  seeking  provisions, 
finding  the  dead  and  putrid  body  of  an  Indian,  in 
stantly  devoured  it.  So  noxious  was  this  horri 
ble  repast,  that  every  one  died  immediately  after 
partaking  of  it. 


72  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [<JII.  2. 

XI.  Nicuesa  resolved  to  seek  some  more  propi 
tious  spot  on  which  to  establish  his  colony,  leaving 
some  men  to  await  here  the  maturity  of  the  crops 
of  maize  and  other  vegetables,  now  almost  ripe, 
which  the  Spaniards  had  sown.  Guided  by  a  sailor, 
who    had  been  on    the  coast  with  Columbus,  he 
reached  Porto-Bello ;  but  he  was  driven  thence  by 
the  natives,  who  slew  twenty  of  his  feeble  and 
emaciated  followers.     He  landed  again  at  a  port  a 
few  leagues  distant,  where,  worn  out  with  misfor 
tune,  he  exclaimed,  "  Paremos  aqui  en  el  nombre  de 
Dios."     "  Let  us  settle  here  in  the  name  of  God." 
From  this  circumstance,  the  port,  called  by  the  na 
tives  Chuchureyes,  and  by  Columbus  de  Bastimien- 
tos,  received  the  name  of  Nombre  de  Dios,  which  it 
has  since  borne. 

XII.  Formal  possession  having  been   taken  of 
this  spot,  a  fort  was  erected,  and  other  measures 
adopted  for  the  security  of  the  colonists,  reduced 
by  fatigue,  famine,  and  pestilence  to  one  hundred 
men,  including  the  survivors  of  those  who  had  been 
left  at  Belen,  and  who  were  now  brought  away. 
During  five  months,  these  had  been  exposed  to  the 
extremities  of  hunger,  and  escaped  death  by  a  for 
tunate  suggestion  of  one  of  their  companions,  to 
make  bread  of  the  grated  palmetto,  after  the  man 
ner  in  which  the  Cassava  was  used  in  Hispaniola. 
The  united  adventurers  persevered  in  their  purpose 
of  establishing  a  colony,  under  the  most  discourag 
ing  circumstances.  Their  supply  of  food  continued 
precarious,  and  was  chiefly  derived  from  the  plun 
der  of  the  natives,  with  whom  they  carried  on  in 
cessant   hostilities.     Many  Indian   prisoners  were 
sent  to  Hispaniola  as  slaves,  ty  a  vessel  which  Ni 
cuesa  dispatched  for  a  store  of  bacon,  which  he 
had  directed  to  be  prepared  before  his  departure. 
But  he  was  not  suffered  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  his 
providential  care ;  the  admiral,  who  sought  to  pre- 


Cft.  2.]  SPANISH   DISCOVERIES.  73 

vent  the  colonization  of  the  continental  countries 
discovered  by  his  father,  prohibiting  the  exportation 
of  the  provisions.  At  length  the  unfortunate  colo 
nists  were  reduced  to  such  a  state  of  weakness, 
that  not  one  was  able  to  stand  sentinel  at  night,  and 
a  speedy  death  was  pending  over  all. 

XIII.  We  now  return  to  the  colony  planted  by 
Ojeda,  at  St.  Sebastian,  which,  at  his  departure  for 
St.  Domingo,  consisted  of  sixty  men.  Having  pa 
tiently  awaited  the  allotted  fifty  days  for  his  return, 
they  determined  to  abandon  the  settlement :  but  as 
all  could  not  be  transported  in  the  brigantines,  the 
only  vessels  remaining  to  them,  they  resolved  to 
abide  until  famine,  or  the  poisoned  arrows  of  the 
Indians,  had  sufficiently  reduced  their  number. 
They  did  not  wrait  long.  Having  killed  and  salted 
four  mares,  the  remnant  of  their  stock,  they  em 
barked,  Pizarro  commanding  one,  and  Valenzuela 
the  other  of  the  vessels.  They  had  scarce  put  to 
sea,  when  the  latter  foundered,  and  every  soul  on 
board  perished.  Pizarro  sailed  for  Carthagena,  and 
was  rejoiced  on  entering  the  port,  to  find  it  occu 
pied  by  Enciso  with  a  ship  and  brigantine,  having 
on  board  one  hundred  and  fifty  men,  and  a  large 
stock  of  provisions,  and  animals  for  breed.  With 
Enciso  came  out  Basco  Nunez  de  Balboa,  to  whom 
Spain  was  afterwards  much  indebted  for  acquisi 
tions  on  the  isthmus.  His  circumstances  in  His- 
paniola  had  grown  desperate,  and  he  fled  secretly 
from  his  creditors.  Whilst  at  Carthagena,  the  In 
dians,  who  had  suffered  from  the  vengeance  of 
Ojeda  and  Nicuesa,  gathered  around  Enciso  and 
his  followers  with  demonstrations  of  hostility.  But 
when  satisfied  that  the  new  comers  were  strangers, 
who  had  no  part  in  the  infliction  of  the  injuries 
they  had  sustained,  they  cast  aside  their  weapons, 
received  their  visitors  as  honoured  guests,  and  sup 
plied  them  abundantly  with  maize,  salted  fish,  and 

VOL.  II.  G 


74  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA*  [CH.  2 

the  fermented  liquors  common  along  the  coast* 
Enciso  compelled  the  reluctant  Pizarro  and  his 
companions  to  return  with  him  to  St.  Sebastian  ; 
but  as  if  every  effort  to  colonize  this  spot  was  des 
tined  to  fail,  Enciso's  ship  was  wrecked  as  she  en 
tered  the  bay,  and  the  chief  portion  of  her  lading, 
including  the  animals,  was  lost.  The  crew  was 
saved  in  the  brigantines.  Upon  landing,  the  ad 
venturers  discovered  that  their  fort  had  been  burn 
ed,  their  improvements  wasted,  and  that  the  In 
dians,  grown  confident  by  success,  shrunk  from  no 
disparity  of  force.  All  clamourously  insisted  upon 
abandoning  a  spot  so  unpropitious  ;  and  by  the  ad 
vice  and  under  the  conduct  of  Balboa,  who  had 
been  on  the  coast  with  Bastides,  they  proceeded  to 
the  river  Darien,  on  the  western  side  of  the  bay. 
Here  they  found  abundance  of  provisions,  and  a 
valuable  booty  in  cotton  and  gold,*  in  an  Indian 
village,  the  inhabitants  of  which  they  had  expelled. 
XIV.  The  Spaniards  immediately  proceeded  to 
establish  their  colony,  giving  to  it  the  name  of 
Santa  Maria  el  Antigua  del  Darien.  But  the  ir 
regular  and  stirring  ambition  which  haunted  most 
persons  engaged  in  these  new  and  exciting  scenes, 
soon  involved  them  in  contention.  Enciso  exer 
cised  his  authority  with  rigour,  especially  in  en 
forcing,  under  the  pain  of  death,  the  royal  prohibi 
tion  against  trading  with  the  natives  on  private  ac 
count.  The  murmurs  of  the  adventurers  on  this 
occasion,  who  accused  him  of  a  design  to  appro 
priate  to  himself  all  the  profits  of  the  expedition, 
gave  Balboa  an  opportunity  to  resist,  and  finally  to 
overthrow  his  power.  He  denied  the  authority  of 
Enciso,  on  the  ground  that  they  were  no  longer 
within  the  government  of  Ojeda ;  and  procured  the 
adoption  of  a  form  of  government  similar  to  that  of 

*  Estimated  at  10,000  castellanos— about  53,000  dollars  of  our" 
present  money 


CH.  2.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  75 

the  towns  of  Spain ;  and  his  own  election  to  the 
office  of  alcade.  But  he  was  not  able  to  still  the 
ferment  he  had  excited  ;  and  whilst  the  little  com 
munity  was  torn  by  several  factions,  it  was  joined 
by  Rodrigo  Enriques  Colminares,  who,  with  two 
ships  and  seventy  men,  were  seeking  Nicuesa  along 
the  coast.  By  distributing  his  provisions  among 
the  settlers,  he  obtained  their  consent  to  submit  to 
the  authority  of  Nicuesa,  in  whose  territory  they 
now  were ;  and  soon  after  discovering  the  position 
of  that  commander  at  Nombre  de  Dios,  he  trans 
ported  him,  and  a  part  of  his  starving  companions, 
to  Santa  Maria.  But  long  suffering  appears  to  have 
deprived  Nicuesa  of  his  wonted  discretion.  Instead 
of  confirming  his  authority  by  gentle  means,  he 
assumed  a  tone  of  asperity,  threatening  to  punish 
the  colonists  of  Darien  for  intruding  within  his 
grant,  and  to  strip  them  of  the  gold  they  had  ac 
quired.  In  return,  they  not  only  refused  to  recog 
nize  his  authority,  but  declined  to  receive  him 
among  them  on  any  terms ;  rejecting  his  prayer, 
that  he  might  rather  be  detained  as  a  prisoner,  than 
sent  to  perish  with  hunger  at  Nombre  de  Dios.  Ob 
durately  persisting  in  their  purpose,  the  colonists 
gave  him  a  rotten  brigantine,  and  compelled  him, 
with  seventeen  of  his  followers,  including  his 
friends  and  servants,  to  depart  from  Darien,  and  to 
swear  that  he  would  make  no  delay  until  he  pre 
sented  himself  before  the  king  and  council  in  Cas 
tile.  It  is  probable  that  the  vessel  and  her  freight 
perished  miserably  at  sea,  no  tidings  having  ever 
been  heard  of  them.*  The  severe  treatment  of 
Nicuesa  was  contrary  to  the  advice  and  efforts  of 
Basco  Nunez,  who,  though  he  had  recommended 
his  rejection  as  governor,  commiserated  his  misfor 
tunes,  and  would  have  saved  him  from  the  fierce 

*  Herrera,  Dec.  1.  lib.  8.  c,  8.     A.  D.  1510. 


76  HISTORY    OF   AMERICA.  [cH.  2. 

rage  of  the  populace.  He  interfered  boldly  for  this 
purpose  ;  and  caused  one  of  the  most  vociferous  of 
the  agitators  to  be  severely  flagellated. 

XV.  Balboa  being  thus  rid  of  Nicuesa,  applied 
himself  to  expel  Enciso  likewise  ;  who,  as  the  chief 
alcade  of  Ojeda,  still  claimed  jurisdiction  over  the 
new  colony.     Upon  the   pretence  that  he  had  un 
lawfully  assumed  official  powers,  and  that  his  com 
mission  was  vacated  by  the  death  of  Ojeda,  Nunez 
subjected  him  to  a  form  of  trial,  and  seized  his  per 
son  and  effects,  but  promised  to  liberate  both,  on 
condition  that  he  would  depart  for  Spain  or  His- 
paniola,  in  the  first  vessel  bound  for  either.     Hav 
ing  freed  himself  from  all  competitors  for  the  gov 
ernment  of  the  colony,  he  resolved  to  apply  to  Don 
Diego  Columbus  for  supplies  of  men  and  provisions, 
and  to  dispatch  an  agent  to  Spain  to  report  his  pro 
ceedings,  and  solicit  a  confirmation  of  his  authori 
ty.     Conscious  that  his  conduct  towards  Nicuesa 
and  Enciso  might  be  inquired  into  and  punished, 
he  persuaded  his  associate,  alcade  Zamudio,  to  pro 
ceed  with  the  latter  to  Spain ;  and  sent  Valdibia, 
one  of  his  regidores,  to  St.  Domingo,  with  a  rich 
present  in  gold  to  the  treasurer,  Passamonte,  whose 
favour  and  influence  with  the  king  he  well  knew. 

XVI.  In  the  mean  time,  the  natives  of  Darien, 
weary  of  their  unbidden  guests,  and  calculating  that 
the  same   passions  which  brought  them  to  their 
shores  would  tempt  them  to  remove,  represented, 
that  the  neighbouring  district  of  Coyba  was  richer 
than  that  of  Santa  Maria,  both  in  provisions  and 
gold.      Balboa  sent  Pizarro,  with  six  men  only,  to 
explore  the  country.     Whilst  ascending  the  river, 
they  were   surrounded   by   four  hundred  Indians, 
commanded  by  the  Cacique  Zemaco,  with  whom 
the   Spaniards   unhesitatingly  engaged ;  and  in  a 
very  short  time   slew  one  hundred  and  fifty,  and 
wounded  many  others.    All  the  Spaniards  were  se» 


CH.  2.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  77 

verely  hurt,  and  one,  dangerously  wounded,  was 
left  on  the  field.  The  others  retreated  to  Santa 
Maria.  But  Balboa,  conceiving  it  to  be  a  stain  on 
his  reputation  that  a  living  man  should  be  thus 
abandoned,  compelled  Pizarro,  with  another  party, 
to  bring  him  off. 

XVII.  Nunez  receiving  no  tidings  of  Nicuesa, 
whom   he    supposed   would   endeavour   to-  regain 
Nombre  de  Dios,   dispatched   two   brigantines  to 
bring  away  the  adventurers  that  had  been  left  there. 
The  vessels,  on  their  return,  entering  the  district 
of  Coyba,  were  surprized  by  a  visit  from  two  Span 
iards,  stark  naked  and  painted  red,  who,  eighteen 
months  before,  had  eloped  from  the  squadron  of 
Nicuesa,  and  had  been  kindly  received  by  the  Ca 
cique  Careta ;  one  of  them  having  been  promoted 
to  the  command  of  his  army,  engaged  in  war  with 
a  neighbouring  chieftain.     Upon  their  representa 
tion  that  the  country  abounded  in  gold,  and  that 
its  subjugation  would  enrich  Nunez  and  all  his  fol 
lowers,   it  was   resolved   that    one   of  the   vessels 
should  remain  at  Coyba,  whilst  the  other  returned 
to  Darien  with  the  intelligence.     Nunez  did  not 
rejoice  more  in  this  prospect  of  wealth  than  in  the 
acquisition  of  interpreters,  through  whom  he  could 
communicate  freely  with  the  natives.    He  marched 
immediately,  at  the  head  of  one  hundred  and  thirty 
men,  thirty  leagues,  to  the   residence  of  Careta ; 
and  the  chief  refusing  to  supply  him  with  provi 
sions,  he  attacked  his  town  by  night,  killed  and 
wounded  many  of  the  inhabitants,  made  prisoners 
of  the  Cacique,  his  wives,  and  children,  and  pos 
sessed  himself  of  a  large  quantity  of  provisions, 
which  he  immediately  sent  to  Darien.     This  se 
vere  lesson  taught  Careta  to  respect  the  power  of 
the  invaders,  and  induced  him  to  form  with  them  a 
league,  offensive  and  defensive,  which  was  confirm 
ed  by  the  delivery  of  his  beautiful  daughter  to  the 
G  2 


78  HISTORY    OP   AMERICA.  [cH.  2 

Spanish  leader,  who  continued  tenderly  attached 
to  her  during  life.  The  Cacique  was  not  long  in 
employing  against  his  enemies,  the  weapons  he  had 
learned  to  dread ;  and  he  conducted  the  Spaniards 
into  the  country  of  Poncra,  a  rival  chief,  which  they 
plundered,  carrying  off  a  large  booty  in  grain  and 
gold. 

XVIII.  Adjacent  to  Coyba,  at  the  foot  of  a  range 
of  high  mountains,  lay  the  district  of  Comagre, 
governed  by  a  Cacique  of  the  same  name,  who, 
struck  with  admiration  of  the  Spaniards,  invited 
them  into  his  territories,  treated  them  with  much 
hospitality,  and  displayed  greater  civilization  than 
they  had  yet  seen  in  the  New  World.  His  palace, 
one  hundred  and  fifty  paces  in  length,  and  eighty 
in  breadth,  was  inclosed  by  a  wall  of  timber  of 
ingenious  workmanship,  and  divided  into  conve 
nient  apartments,  stored  with  abundance  of  pro 
visions.  One  of  these  chambers  was  the  recepta 
cle  of  the  dried  and  embalmed  bodies  of  his  ances 
tors,  of  many  generations ;  \vhich,  clothed  in  man 
tles  of  cotton,  embroidered  with  gold,  pearls,  and 
precious  stones,  were  suspended  from  the  walls. 

The  eldest  son  of  the  Cacique  presented  his 
guest  with  a  rich  offering  of  wrought  gold,  valued 
at  four  thousand  pesos,*  and  seventy  slaves.  A 
fifth  of  the  metal  was  set  apart  for  the  king ;  but 
in  the  division  of  the  remainder,  a  strife  arose 
among  the  Christians,  which  surprized  and  pro 
voked  the  young  Indian.  "  If,"  said  he,  addressing 
the  Spaniards,  and  indignantly  striking  over  the 
balance,  "  if  you  are  so  fond  of  gold  as  for  its  sake 
to  desert  your  own  country  and  disturb  the  peace 

*  Irving,  Voyages  of  the  Companions  of  Columbus,  says,  after 
Martyr,  4000  ounces  of  gold.  This  quantity  is  very  improbable, 
and  is  inconsistent  with  the  statement  of  Herrera,  who  writes, 
"  Mando  traer  ciertas  piecas  de  oro  muy  ricas  en  la  hechura,  y  en 
la  fineza ;  que  tendrian  qiiatro  mil  pesos  &  setenta  esclavas." 


CH.  2.]  SPANISH   DISCOVERIES.  70 

of  others,  I  will  lead  you  to  a  province  where  your 
utmost  desires  may  be  gratified — where  gold  is 
more  abundant  than  iron  in  Spain,  and  is  used  in 
the  fabric  of  ordinary  domestic  utensils.  But,  to 
conquer  this  country,  you  must  provide  a  larger 
force  than  you  have  here,  since  you  will  have  to 
contend  with  mighty  chieftains,  who  will  vigor 
ously  defend  their  possessions.  When  you  shall 
have  passed  those  mountains,"  continued  he,  point 
ing  to  a  range  in  the  southwest,  "  you  will  behold 
another  ocean,  on  which  are  vessels  inferior  only 
to  those  which  brought  you  hither,  equipped  with 
sails  and  oars,  but  navigated  by  a  people  naked  like 
ourselves."*  It  is  supposed  that  the  young  chief 
alluded  to  the  people  of  Peru. 

XIX.  Balboa  received  with  rapturous  delight  this 
first  certain  intimation  of  the  existence  of  another 
ocean.  He  exulted  in  the  hope  of  discovering  the 
East  Indies,  which  had  been  so  dearly  cherished  by 
Columbus ;  and  conjectured  that  the  country  now 
described  to  him,  formed  a  part  of  that  vast  and 
opulent  region.  He  immediately  set  about  prepara 
tions  for  this  great  enterprize,  cultivating  the  good 
will  of  Comagre  and  other  chieftains  ;  and  adminis 
tering  to  the  former,  and  his  sons,  the  rite  of  Chris 
tian  baptism.  He  sent  Valdibia  again  to  St.  Do 
mingo,  with  fifteen  thousand  pesos  in  gold  for  the 
royal  treasury,  to  solicit  from  the  admiral  such  ad 
dition  to  his  "force,  as  might  enable  him  to  effect 
the  desired  conquest. 

Valdibia  was  unfortunately  shipwrecked  on  the 
coast  of  Jamaica,  and  himself  and  crew,  consisting 
of  twenty  persons,  were  tossed  by  the  winds  and 
currents 'during  thirteen  days,  suffering  the  ex 
tremity  of  hunger  and  thirst,  which  destroyed 
seven  of  their  number.  They  were  at  length  strand- 

*  P.  Martyr,  Dec.  2.  lib.  3.    Herrera,  Dec.  1.  lib.  9.  c.  2. 


80  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [cH,  2. 

ed  on  the  eastern  coast  of  Yucatan,  in  a  province 
called  Maya,  where  they  were  seized  by  the  na 
tives  ;  he,  and  four  of  his  companions,  were  soon 
after  sacrificed  to  the  bloody  Gods  of  the  country, 
and  served  up  at  a  feast  of  the  cannibal  worship 
pers.  The  survivors  escaped  into  a  distant  prov 
ince,  and  perished  miserably  in  slavery,  two  only 
excepted,  who  were  taken  into  favour  by  their  mas 
ters,  and  attained  high  consideration  among  their 
savage  captors.* 

XX.  In  the  mean  time,  Nunez  employed  him 
self  in  exploring  the  country,  and  reducing  the 
neighbouring  Caciques  to  subjection.  He  invaded 
the  district  of  Dobayba,  in  the  deserted  villages  of 
which  he  found  considerable  quantities  of  gold ; 
but  he  lost  the  whole,  and  the  canoes  which  car 
ried  it,  upon  his  return.  Upon  a  river  which  he 
named  Negro,  on  account  of  the  colour  of  the  water, 
he  discovered  a  town  of  five  hundred  houses,  in 
the  territories  of  the  Cacique  Abanemechy.  The 
inhabitants  fled  at  his  approach,  but  turned  upon 
their  pursuers,  and  defended  themselves  valiantly 
with  swords  made  of  the  palm-tree,  and  with  spears 
hardened  at  the  ends  by  fire.  But  the  fiercest 
courage  of  naked  barbarians,  could  not  avail  against 
the  superior  arms  and  discipline  of  their  opponents. 
The  Cacique,  and  many  of  his  chief  people,  were 
made  prisoners;  and  while  disarmed,  and  under 
the  protection  of  the  general,  a  Spaniard  whom  he 
had  wounded  attacked  the  former,  and,  at  a  blow, 
struck  off  his  arm.  Following  the  course  of  the 
rivers,  Balboa,  at  the  distance  of  twenty  leagues 
from  the  territories  of  Abanemechy,  came  to  an 
extensive  and  marshy  country,  whose  inhabitants 
built  their  dwellings  in  the  trees,  on  account  of  the 
frequent  inundations.  In  these  the  simple  savages 

*  Herrera,  Dec.  2,  lib.  4.  ch.  7. 


CH.  2.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  81 

deemed  themselves  secure  from  every  foe,  and  re 
fused  to  submit  themselves  to  the  invader;  but, 
when  the  Spanish  axe  was  applied  to  the  roots  of 
their  habitations,  they  were  compelled  to  descend 
and  beg  for  mercy.  The  several  tribes,  finding 
themselves  unable  singly  to  oppose  the  Spanish 
force,  entered  into  a  general  combination,  under 
the  direction  of  the  Cacique  Zemaco,  the  persever 
ing  foe  of  the  Spaniards,  to  expel  the  enemy ;  but 
they  were  defeated  in  the  only  battle  which  they 
offered.  A  conspiracy  to  surprize  Darien,  and  as 
sassinate  the  governor,  was  betrayed  to  Nunez,  by 
an  Indian  woman  who  dwelt  with  him.  The  con 
federates  were  themselves  surprized  by  his  vigi 
lance,  and  being  engaged  singly  and  conquered, 
the  whole  country  submitted  to  his  dominion. 

XXI.  Balboa,  believing  that  the  acquisitions  he 
had  now  made  were  sufficiently  important  to  gain 
him  the  favour  of  the  king,  proposed  to  return  to 
Spain,  to  solicit  more  effectually  the  means  of  pro 
ceeding  to  the  southern  ocean.  But  the  colonists, 
who  justly  considered  him  the  chief  stay  of  the  set 
tlement,  opposing  his  departure,  he  dispatched  Juan 
de  Cayzado  and  Rodrigo  Enriquez  Colminares  to 
court,  for  this  purpose.  They  left  Darien  in  Oc 
tober,  1512,  and  touching  at  Cuba  and  St.  Domin 
go,  arrived  in  Spain  in  May  of  the  following  year. 
Besides  the  king's  fifth  of  the  treasure  collected, 
they  carried  with  them  a  large  contribution  of  gold 
from  the  settlers  to  his  majesty ;  and  also  a  native 
of  the  country  of  Zenu,  who  averred  that  he  had 
seen  a  river,  in  which  this  precious  metal  was  so 
abundant  that  it  might  be  dragged  forth  with  nets. 
The  unquestionable  evidences  of  wealth  which  the 
messengers  exhibited,  and  the  extravagant  accounts 
they  gave  of  the  country  which  produced  them, 
procured  for  it  the  name  of  Golden  Castile,  (Cas- 


82  HISTORY    OP    AMERICA.  [di.  2« 

tilla  del  Oro,)  instead  of  Andalusia,  which  it  had 
first  borne.* 

XXII.  Soon  after  the  departure  of  the  agents, 
the  colony  was  exposed  to  the  most  imminent  dan 
ger  from  intestine  commotion,  caused  by  the  insa 
tiable  avarice  of  its  members.    The  gold,  extracted 
by  every  possible  mean  from  the  natives,  was  im 
partially  divided  by   Balboa;  yet  his  justice  was 
impeached  by  some,  that  they  might  have  a  pre 
tence  to  seize  on  a  fund  often  thousand  castellanos, 
which  had  been  reserved  as  a  public  stock  for  fu 
ture  contingencies.  Two  parties  divided  the  colony, 
who  were  deterred  from  civil  war  only  by  the  fear, 
that  the  Indians  would  fall  on  the  weakened  victor. 
The  malcontents  being  most  numerous,  Nunez  was 
compelled  to  withdraw  from  the  town,  in  order  to 
insure  his  personal  safety ;  and  the  treasure  was 
seized  and  divided.     Fortunately,  at  this  juncture, 
the  long-expected  reinforcements  arrived  from  St. 
Domingo,  with  a  commission  from  Passamonte  ap 
pointing  Balboa  Captain-General.     Although  this 
authority  was  given  in  known  violation  of  the  rights 
of  the  admiral,  it  was  not  the  less  joyfully  received, 
nor  the  less  willingly  obeyed.    But  the  pleasure  of 
Nunez,  on  this  occasion,  was  not  unmixed.  Enciso 
had  carried  his  complaints  to  the  foot  of  the  throne, 
and  Balboa  was  commanded  to  repair  his  losses,  to 
proceed  immediately  to  court,  and  submit  himself 
to  the  king's  pleasure.    He  might  therefore  hourly 
expect  a   successor,   to  deprive   him  of  the  fame 
and  wealth  he  anticipated  from  his  intended  enter- 
prize.     To  prevent  a  calamity  greatly  deprecated 
by  his  ambitious  spirit,  he  determined  to  effect  the 
passage  to  the  South  Sea  with  the  force  then  under 
his  command. 

XXIII.  The  isthmus  of  Darien  is  not  above  sixty 

*  Hcrrera,  Dec.  J  lib.  9. 


CH.  2.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  83 

miles  in  breadth,  but  a  chain  of  lofty  mountains,  a 
continuation  of  the  Andes,  covered  with  almost 
impenetrable  forests,  runs  through  its  whole  extent. 
Its  valleys,  divided  by  large  and  impetuous  rivers, 
and  inundated  by  rains  which  prevail  near  two- 
thirds  of  the  year,  are  marshy  and  unhealthy.  Its 
inhabitants,  advanced  but  a  few  degrees  in  civiliza 
tion,  had  done  nothing  to  remove  or  alleviate  the 
difficulties  of  the  passage  from  sea  to  sea,  nor  after 
a  lapse  of  three  hundred  years,  has  it  become  more 
facile  or  commodious.  The  attempt  of  Balboa  may 
justly  be  considered  the  boldest  which  had  been 
made  by  the  Spaniards  in  the  new  world  ;  but  he 
was  in  all  respects  fitted  to  insure  its  success.  The 
quality  of  courage  he  possessed,  only,  in  common 
with  the  meanest,  of  his  army ; — but  his  prudence, 
generosity,  and  affability,  and  those  nameless  popu 
lar  talents  which  inspire  confidence  and  secure  at 
tachment,  were  peculiarly  his  own.  In  battle,  his 
post  was  that  of  the  greatest  danger,  and  in  every 
labour  that  of  the  greatest  fatigue ;  whilst  his  re 
gard  for  the  ease  of  his  troops  was  ever  active  and 
anxious.  He  desired  for  his  undertaking  a  force 
of  one  thousand  soldiers,  but  he  commenced  it  with 
one  hundred  and  ninety  only,  and  some  fierce 
blood-hounds,  which  were 'efficient  auxiliaries.  A 
thousand  Indians,  who  accompanied  him,  were 
chiefly  useful  in  the  transportation  of  the  baggage. 
XXIV.  Balboa  set  forth  on  the  first  of  Septem 
ber,  after  the  rainy  season  had  passed.  He  pro 
ceeded  by  sea  to  the  district  of  Coyba,  and  thence 
marched  into  that  of  the  Cacique  Ponct.  At  his 
approach,  that  chieftain  fled  to  the  deepest  recesses 
of  his  mountains  ;  but  attracted  by  promises  of  fa 
vour,  and  a  liberal  donation  of  Spanish  implements 
and  toys,  he  returned  to  his  village,  and  gave  the 
Spaniards  a  small  quantity  of  gold,  some  provisions, 
and  guides.  Further  progress  was  sternly  opposed 


84  HISTORY    OP    AMERICA*  [cH.  2. 

by  a  warlike  tribe,  armed  with  bows  and  arrows, 
and  a  species  of  sling-,  by  which  they  threw  staves 
hardened  in  the  fire,  with  such  force  as  to  pass 
through  the  body  of  a  naked  adversary.  But  the 
novel  and  terrific  effect  of  the  firelock,  the  keen 
edge  of  the  sword,  and  the  ferocity  of  the  blood 
hounds,  scattered  them  in  dismay,  with  the  loss  of 
their  Cacique,  and  six  hundred  of  inferior  note. 
Among  the  prisoners,  were  the  brother  of  the 
Cacique,  and  several  chiefs,  who  were  clothed  in 
tunics  of  white  cotton ;  and  being  accused  of  un 
natural  crimes  by  their  enemies,  they  were  torn  to 
pieces  by  the  dogs,  at  the  command  of  the  Span 
iards.  This  defeat  made  the  neighbouring  tribes 
fearful  of  provoking  hostility,  and  disposed  them 
to  render  such  assistance  as  the  Christians  required. 
But  great  labour  and  patience  were  necessary  to 
overcome  the  natural  difficulties  of  the  way.  Dis 
ease  and  fatigue  broke  down  some  of  the  hardy 
veterans,  and  they  were  left  behind  to  recruit  their 
strength.  A  journey,  estimated  by  the  Indians  to 
be  of  six  days  only,  had  already  occupied  twenty- 
five  days,  when  Nunez  approached  the  summit  of 
a  mountain,  from  which  he  was  informed  the  great 
ocean  might  be  seen.  He  commanded  the  army  to 
halt,  and  advanced  alone  to  the  apex,  whence  he 
beheld  the  great  South  Sea  spread  before  him,  in 
boundless  extent.  Casting  himself  on  his  knees, 
he  poured  forth  his  grateful  thanks  to  Heaven,  for 
conducting  him  in  safety  to  this  glorious  object. 
The  army,  beholding  his  transports,  rushed  for 
ward  and  joined  in  his  admiration,  his  exultation, 
and  his  gratitude.  Then,  with  formal  ceremony,  he 
took  possession  of  land  and  sea,  making  a  record 
thereof,  carefully  attested,  erecting  crosses  and 
mounds  of  stones,  and  cutting  the  king's  name  on 
trees.  In  his  descent  to  the  coast,  he  was  compelled 
to  combat  with  a  Cacique  called  Chiapes,  whom  he 


CH.  2.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  85 

converted  by  his  magnanimity  into  an  active  and 
zealous  friend. 

XXV.  Whilst  resting  a  few  days  at  the  village 
of  Chiapes,  Nunez  sent  back  the  guides  who  had 
conducted  him  over  the  mountain,  with  orders  to 
his  people  whom  he  had  left  on  the  way,  to  rejoin 
him.  In  the  mean  time  he  sent  forwards  three  par 
ties  of  twelve  men  each,  under  the  command  of 
Francis  Pizarro,  Juan  de  Escary,  and  Alonzo  Mar 
tin  de  Don  Benito,  respectively,  to  explore  the  sur 
rounding  country,  and  discover  the  best  route  to 
the  sea.  Alonzo  Martin  had  the  fortune  to  take 
the  shortest  road,  and  after  two  days'  march,  came 
to  a  beach  on  which  lay  two  canoes  ;  but  there  was 
no  water  in  sight.  Whilst  considering  these  objects, 
the  tide,  which  rises  several  fathoms  on  this  coast, 
came  rapidly  in,  and  set  them  afloat.  Martin  en 
tered  one  of  the  canoes,  and  called  on  his  compan 
ions  to  bear  witness  that  he  was  the  first  who  had 
ventured  on  the  South  Sea ;  and  Bias  de  Etienza 
following  his  example,  required  them  to  testify  that 
he  was  the  second. 

Upon  the  return  of  Alonzo  Martin  with  the  ti 
dings  of  his  discovery,  Nunez  leaving  a  great  part 
of  his  men  at  the  village  of  Chiapes,  proceeded 
with  eighty  Spaniards  and  a  number  of  Indians, 
conducted  by  their  friendly  chief,  towards  the 
coast,  and  arrived  on  the  borders  of  one  of  the  vast 
bays  which  indent  it,  and  to  which  he  gave  the 
name  of  St.  Michael ;  it  being  discovered  on  that 
saint's  day.  When  he  reached  the  shore,  he  rushed 
into  the  ocean  with  his  sword  drawn,  and  called 
upon  the  witnesses  to  observe,  that  he  had  taken 
possession  of  it  in  the  name  of  the  king  his  mas 
ter.  He  made  several  excursions  along  the  coast, 
skirmishing  occasionally  with  the  natives,  but 
eventually  acquired  the  confidence  and  respect  of 
all.  He  visited  several  of  the  neighbouring  islands  ; 

VOL.  II.  H 


86  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [cH.  2. 

and  collected  a  large  quantity  of  gold  and  pearls ; 
the  sea  here  abounding  in  the  species  of  oyster 
which  produces  these  beautiful  concretions.  He 
also  received  from  the  Indians  a  further  description 
of  the  great  and  wealthy  empire  in  the  south  ;  with 
assurances  that  its  product  of  the  precious  metals 
had  not  been  exaggerated.  And  being  informed 
that  the  inhabitants  employed  a  species  of  animal 
for  transporting  burthens,  he  mistook  the  lama  for 
the  camel,  and  thence  inferred  with  greater  confi 
dence  that  he  was  on  the  borders  of  Asia. 

XXVI.  The  limited  means  of  Balboa  forbade  the 
invasion  of  this  land  of  promise  with  a  view  to  con 
quest.  And  it  would  seem  that  the  idea  of  a  peace 
ful  commercial  visit  merely  to  any  part  of  the  new 
world,  was  never  entertained  by  the  Spaniards, 
after  the  first  voyage  of  Columbus.  They  never 
set  foot  on  any  part  of  it,  however  populous,  but 
with  the  resolution  to  subject  it  to  the  crown  of 
Castile.  And  arrogant  and  unjust  as  this  disposi 
tion  certainly  was,  it  was  encouraged,  and  in  some 
measure  warranted,  by  their  vast  superiority  of  in 
tellect  and  power  over  the  nations  hitherto  discov 
ered.  Nunez  determined,  therefore,  to  return  for 
the  present  to  Santa  Maria,  with  the  fixed  resolu 
tion  to  gather  a  competent  force,  and  to  attempt 
the  reduction  of  this  mighty  Indian  empire,  in  the 
following  summer.  Upon  his  departure,  he  was 
honoured  with  tears  of  regret,  from  the  inhabitants 
of  the  shores  of  the  great  ocean — a  meed  rare  in 
the  history  of  the  first  Spanish  adventurers. 

For  the  purpose  of  obtaining  a  more  extensive 
knowledge  of  the  isthmus,  he  returned  by  a  route 
different  from,  and  more  difficult  than  that,  by 
which  he  came.  The  long-sought  and  much-de 
sired  treasures  his  army  had  acquired,  became  an 
almost  intolerable  burden,  which  they  were  tempted 
to  cast  away  in  the  slough  of  the  valleys,  or  on  the 


CH.  2.]  SPANISH    DISCOVEKIE3.  87 

precipices  of  the  mountains.  Everywhere  the  na 
tives  submitted  to  his  will,  and  paid  him  large  trib 
utes  in  gold,  making  him  their  common  judge  and 
general  arbitrator.  In  this  character  he  condemned 
to  death  a  Cacique  called  Poncra,  who  was  accused 
by  his  neighbours  of  having  done  them  much  in 
jury  ;  and  after  having  in  vain,  by  blandishments 
and  cruelty,  endeavoured  to  extort  from  him  his 
hoarded  treasures,  he  caused  his  sentence  to  be  exe 
cuted  by  his  dogs.  He  also  seized,  at  the  instance 
of  his  enemies,  the  chieftain  Tubanama,  the  gov 
ernor  of  an  extensive,  country  abounding  in  gold; 
and  though  his  death  was  earnestly  sought  by  vin 
dictive  neighbours,  the  Cacique  procured  his  libe 
ration  by  prayers  and  splendid  presents.  Nunez, 
when  he  reached  Comagre,  was  so  exhausted  by 
fatigue,  and  reduced  by  fever,  that  he  was  unable 
to  march  on  foot,  and  was  carried  in  a  litter  upon 
the  shoulders  of  the  Indians.  The  old  Cacique  of 
this  district  being  dead,  was  succeeded  by  that  son 
who  first  informed  Balboa  of  the  existence  of  the 
South  Sea,  and  Peruvian  empire.  The  youthful 
chieftain  received  him  with  great  joy,  administered 
freely  to  his  wants  and  those  of  his  army,  and  pre 
sented  him  with  the  value  of  two  thousand  pesos, 
in  gold.  In  the  neighbouring  district  of  Ponca, 
Nunez  met  some  messengers  from  Darien,  with 
tidings  that  two  vessels  had  arrived  from  Hispan- 
iola,  freighted  with  provisions.  He  immediately 
selected  twenty  light-armed  men,  leaving  the  re 
mainder  to  follow  at  leisure,  and  pushed  on  to  Santa 
Maria,  where  he  arrived  on  the  ninth  of  January, 
1514,  after  an  absence  of  four  months.  He  col 
lected,  during  this  expedition,  near  half  a  million 
of  dollars ;  a  larger  sum  than  had  been  acquired 
by  any  adventurer  in  America ;  all  which,  after  de 
ducting  the  royal  fifth,  he  divided  among  those  who 
had  accompanied  him,  and  those  who  had  remained 


88  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [cit.  2. 

at  Darien ;  giving  to  all  the  greatest  contentment, 
not  only  by  the  dividend  actually  made,  but  also 
by  the  bright  anticipations  of  the  result  of  his  con 
templated  invasion  of  the  rich  countries  on  the 
South  Sea.* 

XXVII.  Shortly  after  his  return,f  Balboa  dis 
patched  Pedro  de  Arbolanca,  an  attached  friend 
and  companion  of  his  labours,  to  Spain,  with  an  ac 
count  of  his  great  discoveries,  and  his  still  greater 
hopes.  But  whilst  he  was  thus  honourably  striving 
to  merit  the  favour  of  the  king,  an  inquiry  was  pro 
gressing  before  the  council  of  the  Indies  into  the 
means  by  which  he  had  attained  the  direction  of 
the  colony.  Enciso  had  found  favour  in  the  eyes 
of  the  bishop  of  Burgos,  who,  on  this  occasion,  is, 
we  think,  unjustly  charged  with  a  fatal  antipathy 
to  every  man  of  merit  in  the  new  world. £  The 
conduct  of  Balboa  towards  Nicuesa  and  Enciso, 
was  irregular  and  inhuman,  and  the  colony  at  Da 
rien,  without  an  authorized  head,  required  the 
delegation  of  power  to  some  one  possessing  the 
royal  confidence.  Neither  the  representations  of 
Zamudio,  nor  the  presents  brought  by  Cayzedo 
and  Colmenares,  who  were  the  bearers  of  the 
tidings  relating  to  the  existence  of  the  South  Sea 
and  Peru,  as  communicated  by  the  son  of  Comagre, 
had  power  to  change  the  just  views  which  the  coun 
cil  took  of  these  proceedings ;  but  his  successful 
journey  across  the  isthmus,  subsequently  commu 
nicated,  mollified  their  indignation. 

XXVIII.  By  the  discovery  of  the  South  Sea,  Fer 
dinand  beheld  an  immediate  prospect  of  realizing 
his  most  ardent  wish,  of  approaching  the  East  In 
dies  by  the  west,  and  partaking  in  that  commerce 
which  was  greatly  enriching  the  kingdom  of  Por 
tugal.  Balboa  required  a  thousand  men  to  com- 

*  Hen-era,  Dec  1.  lib  x.     t  March,  1514      1 1  Rob,  Am.  191, 


CH.  2.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES*  80 

mence  his  enterprize ;  the  king  was  willing  to 
grant  a  much  larger  force,  which  he  resolved  to 
place  under  Don  Pedrarias  Davila,  a  man  of  distin 
guished  family,  with  the  commission  of  governor 
of  Darien.  Fifteen  stout  vessels  were  prepared 
to  carry  out  twelve  hundred  soldiers ;  but  such  was 
the  ardour  of  the  Spanish  gentry  to  embark  for  a 
country  where  gold  might  be  drawn,  like  fish,  in 
nets  from  the  ocean,  that  the  number  was  increased 
to  fifteen  hundred,  and  would  have  been  much 
greater,  had  not  the  popular  ardour  been  restrained. 
With  his  usual  attention  to  the  propagation  of  the 
Christian  faith,  the  king  sent  in  the  fleet,  father 
John  de  Quevedo,  a  Franciscan  friar,  made  bishop 
of  Darien,  with  such  other  spiritual  aids  as  he  deem 
ed  necessary. 

XXIX.  In  the  mean  time,  Balboa  was  not  idle. 
He  sent  expeditions  to  various  parts  of  the  country 
to  collect  gold,  and  subject  the  natives  to  the  Span 
ish  dominion.  And  that  he  might  be  the  better 
prepared  for  his  grand  object,  by  a  more  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  isthmus,  he  ordered  Andres  de 
Garabito,  with  eighty  men,  to  make  a  second  visit 
to  the  South  Sea.  Nunez  himself,  at  the  head  of 
three  hundred  soldiers,  ascended  the  river  San 
Juan,  which  empties  itself  through  seven  mouths 
into  the  gulf  of  Darien.  Within  the  distance  of 
twelve  leagues,  he  found  many  lagoons  on  both 
sides  of  the  river,  whose  borders  were  covered  with 
large  canes  and  reeds.  Further  up,  the  stream 
spread  into  a  lake,  in  the  centre  whereof  was  a 
large  island,  covered  with  palm-trees,  on  which  the 
natives,  in  number  exceeding  four  thousand,  had 
constructed  their  habitations.*  They  assailed  the 
Spaniards,  on  their  approach,  with  bows,  darts,  and 
slings ;  and  in  despite  of  their  targets,  mortally 

*  See  Note  K.  Appendix. 
112 


00  HISTORY   OF   AMERICA*  fcft.  2, 

Wounded  many  of  them.  A  discharge  of  fire-arms 
drove  them  back ;  but  observing  their  invaders  to 
direct  their  course  towards  the  inhabited  trees, 
they  returned,  and  with  a  courage  and  resolution 
which  mocked  at  death,  again  attacked  them,  and 
drove  them  to  their  boats,  wounding  Balboa  him 
self  severely. 

XXX.  Pedrarias  reached  Darien  about  the  mid 
dle  of  July.  Balboa  was  deeply  chagrined  at  be 
ing  thus  superseded^  and  his  people  not  less  vexed 
at  beholding  the  fruits  of  their  toil  about  to  be  di 
vided  with  others  ;  yet  all  readily  submitted  to  the 
will  of  their  sovereign,  and  received  their  governor 
with  the  respect  due  to  his  station.  The  conduct 
of  Nunez  was  remarkable,  differing  from  his  de 
portment  towards  those  who  formerly  claimed  au 
thority  over  him,  more  particularly  as  he  now  com 
manded  a  force  of  four  hundred  and  fifty  veterans, 
drawn  principally  from  the  islands  by  the  fame  of 
his  discoveries,  with  whom  he  was  an  overmatch  for 
the  undisciplined  and  unannealed  company  of  Pe 
drarias.  Inquiries  were  eagerly  made  relative  to 
the  pearl  fisheries  and  gold  mines,  of  which  such 
splendid  accounts  had  been  received  in  Spain ;  and 
many  of  the  new  adventurers  as  earnestly  sought 
the  favoured  spots,  where  they  might  cast  their 
nets  for  treasure.  But  joyous  anticipation  was  suc 
ceeded  by  dismay,  when  they  learned  that  the  pearls 
must  be  brought  from  the  bottom  of  the  ocean,  and 
the  gold  dug  from  the  mines,  with  much  labour  and 
risk  of  life.  Pursuant  to  instructions,  Pedrarias 
instituted  an  inquiry  into  the  administration  of  Bal 
boa,  and  especially  into  his  treatment  of  Nicuesa 
and  Enciso ;  and  imposed  a  fine  upon  him  of  several 
thousand  dollars ;  at  once  gratifying  his  own  jeal 
ousy,  and  filling  the  bosom  of  the  humbled  captain 
with  burning  resentment. 

XXXI.  The  disproportion  of  the  population  to 


ClI.  2.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  01 

the  supply  of  food,  the  great  evil  common  to  the 
settlement  of  new  countries,  awaited  the  colony  of 
Santa  Maria.  The  stock,  barely  competent  for  the 
settlers  under  Nunez,  and  the  stores  brought  from 
Spain  by  Pedrarias,  were  soon  exhausted.  Unfor 
tunately,  too,  the  late  adventurers  had  arrived  at 
the  most  sickly  season  of  the  year,  and,  unacclimat- 
ed,  were  exposed,  during  the  rainy  months,  to  the 
deleterious  exhalations  of  a  marshy  and  unculti 
vated  country,  sweltering  in  unchangeable  and 
tropical  heat.  Famine  and  pestilence  did  their 
office.  In  less  than  a  month,  more  than  seven  hun 
dred  persons  perished,  in  the  utmost  misery.  The 
golden  visions  which  had  stimulated  many  of  the 
principal  cavaliers,  faded  away ;  and  some  willing 
ly  exchanged  their  bright  hopes  for  permission  to 
return. 

XXXII.  That  he  might  prevent  the  remainder 
from  brooding  over  their  misfortunes,  Pedrarias 
sent  parties  into  the  interior  of  the  country  to  es 
tablish  stations  on  the  route  to  the  Southern  ocean, 
and  to  plunder  the  natives.  His  nephew,  of  the 
same  name,  with  four  hundred  men,  entered  the 
province  of  Zenu,  situated  thirty  leagues  eastward 
of  Darien,  and  said  to  abound  in  gold.  He  spent 
here  three  months,  but  did  not  advance  more  than 
six  leagues  from  the  shore  ;  declining  to  visit  the 
mines  which  a  friendly  chief  proffered  to  show  him, 
although  they  were  distant  three  days'  journey  only  ; 
preferring  to  wrest  by  open  violence  from  the  na 
tives,  whatever  he  desired.  But  the  quantity  of 
gold  he  obtained  was  inconsiderable,  and  he  pur 
chased  it  dearly,  by  the  loss  of  forty-five  soldiers, 
who  were  slain  by  the  Indians.  His  prisoners,  how 
ever,  five  hundred  in  number,  produced  a  large 
sum,  when  sold  as  slaves  in  the  islands.  This  ex 
pedition  proving  unsatisfactory,  Enciso  was  select 
ed  to  lead  another  party  to  Zenu,  in  confident  ex- 


93  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [cH.  2« 

pectation  that  his  experience  would  enable  him  to 
draw  a  great  treasure  from  this  province,  which 
contained  the  sepulchres  of  many  tribes,  who  were 
accustomed  to  bury  with  their  dead,  the  ornaments 
which  they  wore  whi-lst  living*  In  becoming  a  sol 
dier,  Enciso  could  not  at  once  divest  himself  of  the 
habits  of  the  lawyer.  His  regard  for  forms,  prompt 
ed  him  to  republish  the  proclamation  which  had 
been  furnished  to  Ojeda.  The  Caciques,  to  whom 
this  manifesto  was  read  and  explained,  readily  ad 
mitted  the  existence  of  a  God,  the  creator  of  heaven 
and  earth  ;  but  they  could  not  comprehend  that  the 
pope  could  give,  and  the  king  take,  the  possessions 
of  others  ;  and  they  threatened,  should  his  majesty 
make  the  attempt,  to  elevate  his  head  upon  a  pole, 
as  they  did  the  heads  of  their  enemies.  Enciso 
then  very  formally  and  gravely  assured  them,  that 
it  became  his  duty  to  slay,  or  reduce  them  to 
slavery  ;  and  upon  their  reply,  that  they  would  treat 
him  as  they  would  his  master,  he  had  recourse  to 
arms,  from  which  he  derived  inconsiderable  advan 
tages,  the  Indians  defending  themselves  with  skill 
and  courage. 

Under  the  direction  of  the  captain  Bezarra,  a  new 
and  shorter  road  was  opened  between  the  two  seas. 
Juan  Ayora,  the  governor's  lieutenant,  visited,  with 
four  hundred  men,  the  districts  of  Comagre,  Ponca, 
and  Tubanama,  and  rewarded  the  kind  hospitality 
of  their  chiefs,  by  enslaving  the  persons,  plunder 
ing  the  property,  and  debauching  the  wives  of  their 
subjects;  thus  heedlessly  casting  away  the  advan 
tages  Nunez  had  gained  in  the  friendship  of  the 
natives.  He  commenced  the  erection  of  a  town 
upon  a  river,  which  he  called  Santa  Cruz.  And 
having  learned  that  Secativa,  a  chieftain  who  re 
sided  some  distance  to  the  west,  was  one  of  the 
most  wealthy  princes  of  the  country,  he  dispatched 
a  party  to  his  district,  with  orders  to  capture  as 


CH.2.]  SPANISH  DISCOVERIES.  93 

many  of  his  people,  and  to  pillage  as  widely  as  pos 
sible.  But  the  Cacique,  informed  of  this  move- 
ment,  placed  his  women  and  children  in  safety,  and 
awaited  in  ambush  the  approach  of  the  invaders  ; 
and  suddenly  springing  upon  them  as  they  ad 
vanced,  he  wounded  their  leader,  and  the  major 
part  of  his  troops,  and  drove  them  back  to  their 
boats.  Stung  by  this  defeat,  Ayora  sought  to  grati 
fy  his  vengeance  by  falling  on  the  country  of  Poco- 
rosa ;  commanding  his  soldiers  to  lay  it  waste,  and 
to  capture  the  Cacique,  that  he  might  extort  from 
him  a  large  ransom  in  gold.  One  of  his  soldiers, 
who  had  accompanied  Nunez  across  the  isthmus, 
remonstrated  against  this  conduct,  as  contrary  to 
good  faith  and  the  covenant  of  peace ;  and  was  re 
warded  for  this  rare  instance  of  virtue,  by  instant 
death.  On  his  arrival  at  Darien,  Ayora  paid  into 
the  treasury  the  king's  fifth  of  his  rapine  ;  but  con 
trived  to  secrete  the  remainder,  which  should  have 
been  divided  with  his  band,  and,  by  the  conni 
vance  of  Pedrarias,  to  return  to  Spain  with  his 
ill-gotten  wealth.  His  town  of  Santa  Cruz  was 
left  exposed  to  the  rage  of  Pocorosa,  who,  at  the 
head  of  the  neighbouring  Caciques,  attacked  it  in 
the  night,  and  slew  all  its  inhabitants  save  five,  who 
escaped  to  Santa  Maria.* 

XXXIII.  To  extenuate  the  unfortunate  results 
of  his  administration,  Pedrarias,  in  his  letters  to 
Spain,  accused  Nunez  of  having  exaggerated  his 
own  services  and  the  wealth  of  the  country.  Balboa 
refuted  these  misrepresentations,  by  contrasting  the 
present  wretched  state  of  the  colony  with  its  late 
prosperous  condition.  Before  the  arrival  of  the 
governor,  the  colonists  were  cheerful,  and  com 
fortably  clothed ;  had  more  than  two  hundred  cot 
tages,  surrounded  by  extensive  fields  of  grain  ;  and 

*  Herrera,  Dec.  2.  lib.  1.    A.  D.  1515. 


04  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  fcfl.  2, 

were  not  only  at  peace  with  the  Caciques  of  the 
neighbourhood,  but  were  on  such  friendly  terms 
with  the  Indians  generally,  that  a  lone  Spaniard 
might  pass  safely  from  sea  to  sea.  But  since  that 
event,  a  great  number  of  the  Castilians  had  perish 
ed,  the  survivors  were  sick  and  suffering,  the  cir 
cumjacent  country  was  devastated,  and  the  friendly 
relations  with  the  Indians  wholly  destroyed.  These 
circumstances  were  duly  weighed  at  court;  and 
though  the  king  did  not  remove  Pedrarias,  he 
sought  to  give  fuller  scope  to  the  genius  of  Nunez, 
by  appointing  him  Adelantado,  or  lieutenant  gov 
ernor  of  the  countries  on  the  South  Sea ;  at  the  same 
time  commanding  Pedrarias,  not  only  to  support 
him  in  all  his  operations,  but  to  consult  him  on 
such  measures  as  he  might  himself  pursue.  But 
the  jealousy  of  the  governor  was  too  deeply  rooted 
to  permit  him  to  regard  the  commands  of  his  sove 
reign,  and  though,  by  the  advice  of  his  officers,  he 
suffered  Balboa  to  assume  the  title  of  his  new  rank, 
he  denied  him  the  power  which  belonged  to  it,  and 
even  required  him  to  give  security  that  he  would 
not  take  upon  him  the  government  of  the  countries 
assigned  him,  without  his  special  permission.  Un 
der  the  conviction  that  the  king  would  finally  make 
a  proper  estimate  of  his  services,  Balboa  had,  with 
out  the  knowledge  of  Pedrarias,  sought  in  the 
islands  independent  means  for  an  expedition  to  the 
South  Sea ;  and  his  agent,  Garibito,  about  this  pe 
riod  arrived  at  Nombre  de  Dios,  with  seventy  men, 
for  this  purpose.  His  intention  secretly  to  join  this 
small  army  was  discovered,  and  he  was  saved  from 
imprisonment  only  by  the  interference  of  the  bishop 
Quevedo,  who  earnestly  persuaded  the  governor  to 
employ  him  in  the  exploration  of  the  coast  so  rich 
in  pearls. 

XXXIV.  Pedrarias  rejected  his  request,  but  dis 
patched  Casper  de  Morales  and  Ferdinand  Pizarro, 


CH.  2.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  95 

with  fifty  men,  to  attempt  this  object.  They  left 
half  their  force  by  the  way,  under  a  captain  Pena- 
losa,  at  the  village  of  the  Cacique  Tutibra,  and 
with  the  remainder,  after  several  engagements  with 
the  Indians  on  the  shores  and  islands  of  the  west 
ern  coast,  they  succeeded  in  obtaining  an  accurate 
knowledge  of  the  country,  and  a  large  quantity  of 
pearls.  An  island  Cacique  presented  them  with 
one  hundred  and  ten  marks'  weight  (equal  to  fifty 
pounds)  of  pearls,  among  which  were  two  of  dis 
tinguished  size  and  beauty — one  weighing  twenty- 
seven  carets,  was  similar  in  form  to  a  small  nut  ; 
the  other,  weighing  thirty  carets,  was  pear-shaped, 
more  oriental  and  perfect,  and  of  beautiful  colour 
and  lustre.  This  gem  was  purchased  by  Pedrarias, 
whose  wife  presented  it  to  the  consort  of  the  em 
peror  Charles  V.  The  savage  donor  received  in  ex 
change  some  beads,  bells,  and  iron  hatchets,  the 
last  of  which,  in  reply  to  the  sneers  of  the  Span 
iards,  he  wisely  declared  far  more  valuable  than 
the  useless  pearls.  Taking  the  captain  and  other 
Spaniards  to  the  top  of  a  small  wooden  tower,  from 
whence  might  be  seen  the  surrounding  sea — "  Be 
hold,"  he  said,  "  this  great  sea,  and  all  the  islands 
which  acknowledge  my  authority,  are  at  your  ser 
vice  whilst  you  continue  my  friends.  I  have  little 
gold,  but  many  pearls,  and  I  desire  your  friendship 
far  more  than  pearls;  to  secure  which,  nothing 
shall  be  wanting  on  my  part."  Then  turning  to  the 
southwest,  he  declared  that  the  land  before  them, 
which  was  Peru,  whose  mountains  were  distinctly 
visible,  abounded  with  gold  and  pearls.  He  readily 
consented  to  pay  to  the  king  of  Castile  an  annual 
tribute  of  an  hundred  marks  of  pearls,  esteeming 
that  an  inconsiderable  quantity.  He,  and  his  whole 
household  also,  received  the  rite  of  baptism,  and 
became  adopted  Christians,  himself  assuming  the 
name  of  Pedrarias. 


96  HISTORY    OF   AMERICA.  [CH.  2. 

XXXV.  At  the  request  of  the  Spaniards,  he  ex 
hibited  to  them  the  manner  of  conducting  the  pearl 
fishery.    His  Indians  availing  themselves  of  a  calm 
sea,  anchored  their  canoes,  with  stones  attached  to 
cables  of  osier,  upon  the  selected  spot.    The  diver, 
with  a  bag  around  his  neck  to  receive  the  oysters, 
descended  sometimes  to  the  depth  of  ten  fathoms, 
the    largest   oysters   being  found  in   the   deepest 
water.     The  fishery  was  laborious  and  dangerous, 
the  oysters  adhering  to  the  rocks,  or  to  each  other, 
with  great  tenacity,  and  the  diver  being  exposed 
to  the  danger  of  exhaustion,  and  to  the  attacks  of 
the  shark  and  the  Marage,  another  voracious  fish. 

XXXVI.  During  the  absence  of  Morales,  Pefia- 
loza  had,  by  his  oppressive  conduct,  roused  the  re 
sentment,  and  induced  a  confederacy, of  the  neigh 
bouring  chiefs.  Upon  relanding,  Morales  dispatch 
ed  a  party  of  ten  men  to  recall  him,  he  being  then 
traversing  the  country  at  some  distance.  The  mes 
sengers  were  received  at  the  village  of  the  Cacique 
Chichama,  one  of  the  confederates,  with  much  ap 
parent  affection.     But,  in  the  dead  of  the  night, 
the  house  in  which  they  lodged  was  set  on  fire,  and 
half  their  number  perished  in  the  flames.  The  flight 
of  a  chief  called  Chiruca,  who,  with  his  son,  had 
professed  great  friendship  for  the  Spaniards,  and 
had  accompanied  them  in  their  progress,  gave  rise 
to  suspicion  in  the  mind  of  Morales,  that  some  sin 
ister  design  was  entertained  by  the  natives.     The 
fugitive  was  pursued  and  overtaken,  and  being  sub 
jected  to  torture,  confessed  his  knowledge  of  the 
conspiracy,  and  became  the  agent  for  betraying  his 
associates.  He  wras  compelled  to  invite  all  the  con 
federates,  eighteen  in  number,  to  a  general  meet 
ing,  to  commune  with  him  on  certain  important 
preliminaries ;     and  when  they  were    assembled, 
they  were  easily  made  prisoners  by  the  Spaniards. 
Morales  and  Peiialosa  were  thus  enabled  to  unite 


CH.  2.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  97 

their  forces,  and  to  attack  the  natives,  deprived  of 
their  leaders.  The  Spaniards,  according  to  their 
custom,  made  the  assault  in  the  night,  shouting 
their  war-cry  of  Saint  Jago !  and  at  sunrise  they 
counted  seven  hundred  of  their  enemies  who  were 
slain.  But  this  hecatomb  of  victims  did  not  sati 
ate  their  vengeance ;  that  required  the  sacrifice  of 
all  the  chiefs,  the  traitor  Chiruca  included. 

Having  learned  that  a  powerful  and  warlike 
Cacique  dwelt  on  the  eastern  part  of  the  gulf 
of  San  Michael,  who  was  called  Biru,  and  some 
times  Biruquete,  from  whom  Peru  was  supposed 
to  take  its  name,  Morales  resolved  to  attack 
him.  He  assailed  the  village  in  the  night;  but 
the  chief,  escaping,  inspirited  his  countrymen, 
and  valiantly  fought  the  invader  during  the  greater 
part  of  the  following  day,  and  though  finally  re 
pulsed,  the  victors  were  glad  to  retrace  their  steps, 
and  take  up  their  march  forDarien.  But  their  route 
was  beset  by  the  followers  of  the  slaughtered  Ca 
ciques,  who,  though  frequently  defeated,  hung  upon 
their  flanks,  and  greatly  annoyed  them ;  and  at  length 
forced  them  to  a  secret  and  precipitate  flight.  The 
Indians  hotly  pursued,  nor  could  they  be  turned 
from  the  chase  by  the  cruel  wiles  of  the  Spaniards, 
who  butchered  their  prisoners,  and  left  their  bodies 
in  the  path,  that  the  pursuers  might  be  delayed  in 
mourning  their  murdered  friends.  At  last,  with 
out  guides,  and  almost  bereft  of  hope,  the  Cas- 
tilians  reached  Darien,  having  wandered  for  some 
time  in  a  circle,  now  fighting  with  the  fury  of  des 
peration,  now  struggling  through  almost  impervi 
ous  forests,  or  wading  almost  impassable  fens. 

XXXVII.  Another  exploring  party  was  sent  to 
the  South  Sea  under  Tello  de  Guzman,  who  took 
up,  in  his  way,  a  small  garrison  which  had  been 
left  by  Ayora  in  the  territories  of  Tubanama,  and 
which  was  besieged  and  reduced  almost  to  famine 

VOL.  II.  I 


98  HISTORY   OP   AMERICA.  [cH.  2. 

by  that  Cacique.     The  chief  readily  listened  to 
proposals  of  peace,  and  promises  of  satisfaction  for 
past  injuries  ;  and  received  Guzman  with  the  frank 
est  hospitality.     The  Castilian  returned  this  kind 
ness  by  putting  him  to  death,  on  the  complaint  of 
a  young  Indian,  who  accused  him  of  usurpation, 
and  promised  a  rich  donation,  in  case  the  govern 
ment  of  the  district  were  restored  to  him.     On  his 
arrival  at  Panama,  Guzman  sent  his  lieutenant,  Al- 
bitez,  with  eighty  men,  into  the  neighbouring  prov 
ince  of  Chagre.     Of  the  latter  commander,  it  is 
recorded,  that  he  entered  an  Indian  town  whilst  its 
inhabitants  were  asleep,  and  did  no  injury.     The 
Cacique,  surprized  and  gratified  that  his  village  was 
not  burned,  and  his  people  slaughtered,  presented 
Albitez  with  the  value  of  twelve  thousand  pesos  in 
gold;  who  very  modestly  asked  the  donor  to  fill 
him  a  large  sack  of  the  same  metal.     The  Indian, 
alarmed  and  indignant  at  his  rapacity,  bade  him  fill 
his  sack  with  stone  at  the  brook,  for  that  he  had  no 
more  gold,  and  was  unable  to  make  it.   Upon  Guz 
man's  return  to  Darien,  he  was  met  at  Tubanama 
by  a  large  party  of  Indians,  carrying  as  standards, 
linen  shirts  dyed  in  the  blood  of  Spaniards  whom 
they  had  killed.  They  fiercely  attacked  the  troops, 
threatening  them  with  the  fate  of  the  settlers  at 
Santa  Cruz ;  but  by  maintaining  a  running  fight, 
Guzman   reached  Darien  with  his  people,  much 
spent  by  fatigue,  and  suffering  from  wounds  in 
flicted  by  the  Indian  arrows.     In  his  hasty  flight, 
he  was  deprived  of  the  greater  part  of  the  gold  he 
had  gathered,  being  compelled  to  exchange  it  for 
water  with  the  inhabitants  of  the  territories  through 
which  he  passed. 

XXXVIII.  A  party  of  seventy  men,  under  Fran 
cis  de  Vallejo,  sent  to  chastise  the  natives  of  Uraba 
for  alleged  injuries  against  those  of  Darien,  fared 
worse  than  that  under  Guzman.  At  the  attack  of 


CH.  2.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  09 

an  Indian  town,  the  Spaniards  separated  in  search 
of  gold,  and  were  thus  exposed  to  the  poisoned  ar 
rows  of  the  enemy,  and  finally  compelled  to  retreat. 
As  they  entered  the  country,  they  were  surrounded 
by  warriors,  who  had  suffered  from  the  depredations 
of  Odeja  and  Guerra,  armed  with  weapons  tinged 
with  a  poison  so  deadly,  that  the  wounded  died  in 
raving  madness.  Villejo,  finding  it  impossible  to 
contend  with  this  host  of  enemies,  resolved  to  re 
turn  to  Darien.  He  attempted  to  descend  the 
River  of  Nets  on  rafts,  which,  hastily  and  badly 
constructed,  soon  went  to  pieces.  The  exhausted 
Spaniards,  followed  by  the  Indians  on  the  banks, 
struggled  with  the  current,  on  the  separated  logs, 
or  sought  to  preserve  a  few  wretched  moments  of 
life  by  clinging  to  the  trees  which  dropped  their 
branches  into  the  stream.  The  bolder  and  stronger 
made  for  the  shore,  in  despite  of  the  flights  of  poi 
soned  arrows  discharged  upon  them.  Twelve  only 
of  the  party  returned  to  Darien,  and  of  these  few 
survived. 

XXXIX.  A  fate  yet  more  unfortunate  befell  a 
detachment  of  one  hundred  and  eighty  men,  under 
Francis  Bezarra,  designed  to  avenge  the  compan 
ions  of  Villejo,  and  afterwards  to  enter  the  prov 
ince  of  Zenu,  which  Enciso  had  previously  visited 
with  little  profit.  His  march  through  Uraba  was 
highly  perilous.  The  Indians,  taught  by  experi 
ence  the  great  advantages  which  the  Spaniards  pos 
sessed  when  combating  in  the  open  fields,  blocked 
their  path  by  fallen  trees,  and  poured  their  darts 
and  arrows  upon  the  perplexed  army  from  the  cover 
of  the  bushes,  unseen.  Instead,  therefore,  of  in 
flicting  vengeance,  Bezarra  had  much  difficulty  to 
protect  himself.  On  his  arrival  at  the  river  Zenu, 
near  a  principal  Indian  town,  the  chiefs  proposed  a 
truce,  and  offered  to  transport  his  army  in  their  ca 
noes  across  the  stream.  Bezarra,  disregarding  the 


100  HISTORY    OF   AMERICA.  [cH.  2. 

wise  maxim  which  teaches  us  to  distrust  the  gift  of 
an  enemy,  rashly  consented.  The  warriors  fell  upon 
his  divided  force,  and  destroyed  his  whole  army. 
The  story  of  its  fate  was  borne  to  Pedrarias  by  an 
Indian  boy,  who  waited  on  the  commander. 

XL.  The  boldness  and  success  of  the  Indians, 
gave  great  uneasiness  to  the  governor,  and  so  alarm 
ed  the  colonists  that  they  beheld  their  enemies  in 
the  trees  of  the  mountains,  and  the  tall  grass  of 
the  plains,  and  their  canoes  in  the  waves  as  they 
rolled  into  the  bay.  The  discontents  of  the  people 
exasperated  by  Nunez  and  his  party,  were  vehe 
mently  expressed.  The  foundery  was  shut  up, 
and  the  refining  of  gold  suspended; — a  measure 
hitherto  adopted  during  siege  or  famine  only.  The 
inhabitants,  intent  on  personal  safety,  disregarded 
the  accumulation  of  wealth ;  and  making  a  public 
confession  of  their  sins,  they  besought  the  pardon 
and  protection  of  the  Deity.  As  a  measure  of  de 
fence,  the  governor  resolved  to  distract  the  atten 
tion  of  the  foe,  by  sending  another  party  through 
their  country  to  the  South  Sea. 

XLI.  Gonzalo  de  Badajos,  with  one  hundred  and 
thirty  men,  set  forth  by  the  way  of  Nombre  de 
Dios,  the  passage  from  that  place  being  the  shortest 
across  the  isthmus.  The  ruins  of  the  fort,  the  human 
bones  bleaching  in  the  sun,  and  the  monumental 
crosses  which  told  the  lamentable  history  of  Nicu- 
esa's  misfortunes  on  this  spot,  were  deemed  omin 
ous  by  the  troops,  and  they  protested  against  pro 
ceeding  further  in  this  direction.  But  Badajos 
promptly  commanding  the  return  of  the  vessel 
which  brought  them,  left  them  no  alternative  but 
to  march  or  perish  on  the  coast.  He  extracted  from 
every  Cacique  in  his  route  large  sums  in  gold ; 
but  had  nearly  lost  his  lieutenant,  Alonzo  Perez  de 
la  Rua,  by  an  artifice  of  a  chief  whom  he  had  made 
prisoner.  On  the  suggestion  of  the  Indian,  Rua, 


CH.  2i]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  101 

with  thirty  men,  was  dispatched  to  surprize  a  Ca 
cique  called  Nata,  who  was  represented  as  having 
few  subjects,  yet  very  rich  in  gold.  A  rapid  night- 
march  brought  the  Spaniards  to  his  residence ;  but 
they  were  astonished  to  behold  with  the  rising  sun 
a  country  studded  with  villages,  and  swarming  with 
inhabitants.  They  did  not  hesitate  an  instant  to 
make  the  attack,  and  fortunately  immediately  cap 
tured  the  Cacique,  from  whom  they  obtained  a  val 
uable  treasure.  His  people,  directed  by  his  brother, 
prepared  to  liberate  or  avenge  him ;  but  quietly 
submitted  to  the  command  of  their  prince,  although 
the  wives  and  children  of  many  were  prisoners. 
Badajos,  who  soon  after  arrived  to  the  support  of 
Rua,  took  up  quarters  here  for  the  winter  or  rainy 
months,  during  which  he  made  several  excursions 
into  the  neighbouring  country,  and  obtained  a 
valuable  plunder.  The  gold  which  he  amassed  dur 
ing  his  expedition,  was  valued  at  near  a  half  mil 
lion  of  dollars  of  our  present  money. 

XLII.  A  Cacique,  whom  the  Spaniards  named 
Paris,  at  their  approach,  fled  with  his  people  to  the 
mountains,  and  refused  to  return,  though  threat 
ened  by  Badajos  with  pursuit  and  death.  To  pro 
pitiate  him,  however,  the  chief  sent  a  present  of 
four  patecas,  or  boxes,  made  of  palm-leaves,  lined 
with  deer  skins,  and  filled  with  plates  of  gold,  the 
ornaments  of  his  women,  valued  at  fifty  thousand 
pesos.  Surprized  at  the  richness  of  this  donation, 
Badajos  supposed  the  donor  must  possess  still 
greater  treasures,  which  he  treacherously  prepared 
to  seize,  whilst  his  messengers  bore  back  the 
strongest  assurances  of  friendship  and  gratitude. 
For  this  purpose  he  feigned  to  retire,  and  thereby 
drew  the  Cacique  back  to  his  village,  which  he  at 
tacked  two  nights  after.  The  Cacique  escaped,  but 
his  women,  and  gold  to  the  value  of  forty  thousand 
pesos,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Spaniards.  The 
12 


102  HISTORY   OP   AMERICA.  [CH,  2. 

indignant  Paris,  roused  to  vengeance,  succeeded  in 
dividing  the  Spanish  force,  by  a  stratagem  address 
ed  to  their  avarice,  and  boldly  attacking  them,  slew 
seventy  of  their  number,  and  wounded  the  greater 
part  of  the  remainder.  He  also  captured  their  bag 
gage,  including  the  immense  treasures  so  iniqui- 
tously  gathered,  and  liberated  more  than  four  hun 
dred  slaves.  Badajos  retreated  along  the  shore  of 
the  South  Sea,  displaying  military  abilities  which 
would  have  dignified  a  more  virtuous  enterprize. 
The  Cacique  Nata  harassed  his  march.  The  chief 
of  a  province  called  Chame,  met  him  on  his  own 
frontier,  and  prohibited  his  passage ;  but  supplied 
him  with  food  on  his  taking  another  route.  Yet 
amid  the  most  imminent  dangers,  the  Spanish  com 
mander  found  means  to  visit  several  islands  on  the 
coast,  to  seize  their  chiefs,  and  extort  their  trea 
sures,  and  finally  to  return  to  Darien.  But  he  lost 
in  this  expedition  three-fourths  of  his  men,  and  his 
lieutenant  Rua,  who  fell  in  one  of  his  last  engage 
ments. 

XLIII.  In  the  mean  time,  Pedrarias  doubting 
the  truth  of  the  reported  fate  of  Bezarra,  resolved 
personally  to  seek  him,  but  dared  not  openly  pro 
claim  his  purpose,  as  none  of  the  colonists  would 
engage  in  any  expedition  to  Uraba  or  Zenu,  on  ac 
count  of  the  dread  they  entertained  of  the  poisoned 
weapons  of  the  natives  of  these  districts.  Under 
pretence  of  making  war  upon  Pocorosa,  and  other 
neighbouring  chieftains,  he  organized  a  force  of 
more  than  three  hundred  men,  whom  he  embarked 
on  board  several  vessels.  He  sailed,  during  the 
day,  westward,  but  changed  his  course  at  night, 
and  before  day  landed  two  hundred  men,  under  the 
command  of  Bartolome  Hurtado,  at  Caribana.  In 
a  grave  and  severe  tone,  he  commanded  them  to 
obey  their  officers  without  inquiring  whither  they 
were  to  go,  or  what  they  were  to  do.  An  Indian 


CH.  2.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  103 

village  was  immediately  beset  and  fired,  and  many 
of  the  inhabitants  were  slaughtered,  or  made  pris 
oners,  as  they  rushed  from  the  flames.  Others, 
however,  made  head  with  their  much-dreaded 
poisoned  weapons,  and  compelled  the  Spaniards  to 
retire  to  their  ships.  From  his  prisoners,  Pedrarias 
received  the  confirmation  of  the  destruction  of 
Bezarra  and  his  party.  This  principal  object  of 
his  journey  accomplished,  he  again  directed  his 
course  towards  lower  Terra  Firma,  and  landed  at 
the  port  of  Acla,  with  all  his  army.  The  licen 
tiate  Espinosa,  his  chief  alcade,  marched  with  some 
of  the  troops  against  Pocorosa,  whilst  Pedrarias  em 
ployed  the  remainder  in  erecting  a  fortification  of 
earth  and  wood.  Having  encouraged  his  troops  by 
his  example  in  labouring  at  the  work,  he  returned 
after  a  few  days  to  Darien,  leaving  the  captain, 
Gabriel  de  Rojas,  in  command  at  the  fort. 

XLIV.  Espinosa,  who  was  engaged  in  the  dis 
trict  of  Pocorosa  and  Comagre,  when  Badajos 
passed  through  to  Darien,  prepared  immediately  to 
recover  the  wealth  which  the  latter  had  lost ;  and 
he  required  from  Pedrarias  proper  assistance  for 
this  object ;  who  sent  him  one  hundred  and  thirty 
men,  under  Valenzuela,  although  Badajos  claimed 
this  enterprize  as  his  right.  On  his  way,  Valen 
zuela  touched  at  the  island  of  Bastimientos,  where 
he  made  some  prisoners,  and  thence  proceeding 
to  Terra  Firma,  he  staved  his  vessels,  by  the  orders 
of  the  governor,  that  his  soldiers  might  not  think 
of  returning,  save  as  victors.  Espinosa,  desirous 
to  show  that  the  talents  of  the  soldier  were  not  in 
compatible  with  the  learning  of  the  jurist,  had  al 
ready  set  forward.  Chiefly  by  the  fear  his  horses 
inspired,  which  were  now  seen  here  for  the  first 
time,  he  easily  overcame  and  dispersed  an  army  of 
three  thousand  Indians,  who  had  united  in  the 
provinces  of  Comagre  and  Pocorosa.  After  the  bat- 


104  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [CH.  2. 

tie,  he  formally  tried  his  prisoners,  and  punished 
them  according  to  the  offences  he  chose  to  lay  to 
their  charge  ;  hanging  some,  and  cutting  off  the 
hands  and  noses  of  others.  In  his  progress,  the 
Cacique  of  Chiru  was  captured,  his  neighbour  of 
Nata  submitted  without  struggle,  but  Paris  fought 
with  resolution,  and  though  beaten,  refused  to  sue 
for  peace.* 

In  the  mean  time,  Valenzuela  followed  in  quest 
of  Espinosa,  without  any  certain  indication  of  his 
route ;  but  after  much  suffering  from  hunger  and 
fatigue,  discovered  him  by  the  discharge  of  fire 
arms.  The  united  Spanish  force  was  deemed  by  its 
leaders  sufficient  to  subjugate  the  whole  of  Terra 
Firma.  The  treasure  captured  from  Badajos  had 
been  given  in  charge  to  a  Cacique  called  Quema, 
to  whom  Albitez  was  sent,  with  sixty  men,  to  re 
cover  it.  But,  being  unable  to  extract  any  inform 
ation  from  its  keepers,  he  brought  them  to  Espino 
sa,  who,  as  Herrera  says,  "  being  crafty  in  fair 
words,"  soon  learned  where  it  was  hidden,  and  re 
covered  about  eighty  thousand  castellanos.  The 
remainder  was  said  to  be  secreted  in  the  country 
of  the  Cacique  Chicacotia,  whither  Espinosa  march 
ed  his  army,  resolving  to  spend  the  winter  season 
there,  the  place  abounding  with  provisions.  A 
temporary  church  was  erected,  in  which  the  priests 
said  mass,  and  laboured  for  the  conversion  of  the 
Indians.  Some  women  and  children  submitted  to 
baptism,  but  the  men  were  hardened  in  their  infi 
delity. 

XLV.  The  neighbouring  Indians  resolving  on  a 
vigorous  effort  to  rid  themselves  of  their  oppres 
sors,  collected  a  force  of  twenty  thousand  men. 
But  they  were  unable  to  resist  the  weapons  and 
skill  of  the  Spaniards,  strengthened  by  a  consider- 

*  Herrera,  Dec.  11.  lib.  2. 


CH.  2.]  SPANISH   DISCOVERIES.  105 

able  body  of  the  natives,  who,  properly  commanded, 
proved  valuable  auxiliaries.  After  defeating  and 
routing  this  great  army,  Espinosa  sent  the  captains, 
Ponce  and  Hurtado,  to  make  further  discoveries  on 
the  South  Sea,  whilst  he  extended  his  inquiries 
over  the  adjacent  countries.  The  former  visited 
several  islands,  and  a  greater  part  of  the  coast  to 
wards  the  east,  and  obtained  many  Indian  prison 
ers,  much  gold,  and  other  booty.  The  march  of 
Espinosa,  on  his  return  to  Darien,  was  scarce  less 
difficult  and  dangerous  than  his  outward  progress. 
The  natives  administered  to  his  wants,  during  the 
immediate  presence  of  his  army,  but  as  soon  as  he 
passed  from  any  district,  they  resumed  their  arms 
and  hostile  attitude.  At  length,  he  regained  Santa 
Maria  del  Darien,  having  been  relieved  on  his  way 
by  Christopher  Sorrano,  who  was  engaged  in  re 
ducing  the  province  of  Comagre,  again  in  rebellion; 
and  by  Balboa,  then  at  Acla,  labouring  to  advance 
his  enterprize  on  the  Southern  ocean.  The  booty  in 
gold  and  slaves  acquired  by  Espinosa,  was  very 
great.  The  latter  exceeded  two  thousand  in  num^ 
ber.  The  division  of  the  spoil  enriched  all  who  ac 
companied  him,  and  fostered  the  vices  which  usual 
ly  grow  from  the  violent  and  sudden  acquisition  of 
wealth.  Gaming  was  most  rife  ;  the  meanest  player 
never  risked  less  than  two  crowns,  and  Pedrarias, 
at  one  throw,  played  away  an  hundred  slaves.* 

XLVI.  The  jealousy  and  hatred  of  Pedrarias  to* 
wards  Balboa,  at  length  yielded  to  the  good  offices 
of  the  bishop  Quevedo ;  and  to  cement  their  union 
more  strongly,  the  governor  consented  to  give  his 
daughter,  then  in  Spain,  in  marriage  to  Nunez. 
The  fruit  of  this  reconciliation,  was  the  immediate 
resumption  of  the  design  of  the  latter  upon  the 
South  Sea;  and  as  auxiliary  thereto,  the  erection 

*  Jlerrera,  Dec.  11.  lib.  2. 


106  HISTORY    OP    AMERICA.  [cH.  2. 

of  a  town  at  Acla.  And  here,  with  the  prudence 
which  eminently  distinguished  him,  he  compelled 
each  of  his  men  to  sow  a  piece  of  land,  of  which  he 
set  the  first  example.  He  followed  Espinosa  to 
Darien,  rightly  supposing  that  his  disbanded  troops, 
accustomed  to  the  license  of  Indian  warfare  and 
the  excitements  of  plunder,  would  not  long  remain 
content  amid  the  dull  scenes  of  peace.  Pedrarias, 
who  seemed  disposed  sincerely  to  aid  his  purpose, 
assisted  him  in  raising  two  hundred  men,  and  sup 
plied  him  with  all  things  necessary  for  their  equip 
ment.  Balboa  had  appointed  Albitez  his  lieuten 
ant  at  Acla,  who,  partaking  of  that  spirit  which,  in 
these  extraordinary  scenes,  prompted  every  ambi 
tious  man  to  strike  out  a  path  for  himself,  departed 
for  Hispaniola,  to  obtain  permission  and  assistance 
to  establish  a  colony  at  Nombre  de  Dios,  that  he 
might  thence  prosecute  adventures  on  the  western 
coast  of  the  Isthmus.  His  projects  were  coldly  re 
ceived  at  St.  Domingo ;  and  being  referred  to  Pe 
drarias,  he  returned  to  Darien  with  sixty  recruits, 
pretending  that  he  had  visited  Hispaniola  solely  to 
procure  reinforcements  and  provisions  for  the  colo 
nies  on  Terra  Firma. 

XLVII.  Returning  to  Acla,  Nunez  prepared  the 
timber  and  rigging  for  two  brigantines,  and  estab 
lished  a  depot  of  provisions  on  the  mountains.  The 
wrought  timber,  and  other  necessaries,  were  car 
ried  across  the  isthmus  by  Indian  and  negro  slaves  ; 
but,  in  this  extraordinary  labour,  which  destroyed 
many  of  the  natives,  the  Spaniards  also  partici 
pated.  Before  his  squadron  could  be  got  afloat, 
Nunez  experienced  delays  and  disappointments, 
which  sorely  tried  his  patience.  The  frames  of  the 
vessels,  obtained  with  so  much  labour,  were  ren 
dered  worthless  by  the  worms ;  new  ones,  which 
were  cut  on  the  river  Las  Balsas,  were  carried 
away  by  the  flood  j  and  all  other  evils  were  much 


CH.  2.]  SPANISH   DISCOVERIES.  107 

aggravated  by  the  scarcity  of  food.  Yet,  in  des 
pite  of  these  discouraging  circumstances,  he  suc 
ceeded  in  launching  two  small  vessels  upon  the 
Southern  ocean ;  in  which  he  immediately  trans 
ported  a  part  of  his  army  to  the  largest  of  the  pearl 
islands,  and  whilst  the  vessels  returned  for  the  re 
mainder,  he  employed  himself  in  collecting  provi 
sions,  that  he  might  thereby  straiten  the  inhabit 
ants,  and  maintain  his  own  forces. 

XLVIII.  At  this  period,  Nunez  was  stimulated 
in  his  enterprize  by  a  letter  from  the  archbishop  of 
Seville,  the  friend  and  patron  of  Columbus,  assur 
ing  him,  that  if  he  followed  the  coast  to  the  west, 
he  would  encounter  a  race  covered  with  mail,  and 
armed  with  spears;  but  if  he  went  eastward,  he 
would  find  a  wealthy  country,  abounding  in  cattle. 
Choosing  the  latter,  he  embarked  with  one  hundred 
men  on  a  short  voyage  of  exploration,  and  touching 
at  Port  Pinas,  five-and-twenty  leagues  east  of  cape 
St.  Michael,  he  landed,  to  chastise  the  Cacique 
Chicama  for  the  slaughter  of  the  Spaniards  under 
Morales.  On  his  return  to  the  island,  he  prepared 
timber  for  two  other  vessels ;  and  soon  after,  by  a 
party  sent  to  Acla  for  their  equipments,  he  received 
tidings  that  Pedrarias  was  about  to  be  superseded 
by  Lope  de  Sosa,  a  gentleman  of  Cordova.  This 
news  much  disturbed  him,  exciting  apprehensions 
that,  with  the  governor,  he  would  also  be  removed, 
and  that  his  labours  would  grace  the  fortunes  of 
another.  In  private  conversation  with  his  friends, 
he  deplored  this  probable  result,  and  declared  his 
resolution  to  prosecute  his  design  at  all  hazards. 
This  declaration,  imperfectly  overheard,  was  repre 
sented  to  Pedrarias  as  an  open  annunciation  of  re 
bellion,  and  gave  increased  vigour  to  his  hatred 
and  jealousy,  which  had  been  rekindled,  by  the 
meritorious  services  of  Balboa.  Actuated  by  these 
malevolent  passions,  he  did  not  scruple  to  defeat 


108  HISTORY    OF   AMERICA.  [CH.  2. 

an  enterprize  of  the  greatest  moment  to  his  coun 
try.  He  recalled  Balboa  to  Darien,  when,  with  four 
vessels  and  three  hundred  men,  he  was  about  to 
commence  his  search  for  the  rich  countries  of  the 
South.  Balboa  having  no  suspicion  of  the  evil  in 
tentions  of  the  governor,  immediately  obeyed  ;  and 
though  he  was  apprized,  before  he  reached  Acla, 
of  the  disposition  of  Pedrarias,  he  did  not  hesitate, 
in  the  confidence  of  his  innocence,  to  put  himself 
into  his  power.  But  this  was  no  longer  a  matter  of 
choice,  since  Pizarro,  who  had  been  sent  forward 
to  arrest  him,  soon  after  fell  in  with  him,  and  per 
formed  that  duty.  On  his  arrival  at  Darien,  he  was 
thrown  into  prison;  and  Hurtado  was  dispatched  to 
take  the  command  of  the  armament  on  the  Pacific. 
Nunez  was  hastily  put  on  trial  before  the  chief  al- 
cade,  Espinosa,  on  the  charges  of  disloyalty  to  the 
king,  and  sedition  against  the  governor ;  and  was 
sentenced  to  death  at  the  express  command  of  the 
latter.  The  judge  who  pronounced  the  sentence, 
together  with  the  whole  colony,  vainly  interceded 
for  the  pardon  of  the  prisoner,  and  the  Spaniards 
beheld  with  astonishment  and  sorrow,  the  public 
execution  of  a  man  confessedly  more  capable  than 
any  who  had  been  in  command  in  America,  of 
forming  and  accomplishing  great  designs.  In  youth 
he  had  lived  somewhat  freely,  but  his  mature  years 
redeemed  his  early  errors.  His  oppressor  and  mur 
derer  was  not  only  screened  from  punishment,  but 
was  continued  in  power,  by  the  influence  of  the 
bishop  of  Burgos,  and  other  courtiers. 

Some  extenuation  of  the  crime  of  the  governor 
may  be  found  in  the  false  representations  of  Garri- 
bito,  the  confidential  but  traitorous  lieutenant  of 
Balboa.  This  man  had,  before  the  last  departure  of 
Nunez  from  Acla,  written  privately  to  Pedrarias, 
that  the  former  had  no  intention  to  consummate  his 
marriage  with  the  daughter  of  the  latter,  being  de- 


CH.  2.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  109 

voted  to  his  Indian  princess,  the  descendant  of  Ca- 
reta;  and  that  he  used  the  friendship  of  the  gov 
ernor  merely  for  the  promotion  of  his  own  interests, 
and  intended  to  assume  absolute  independence,  as 
soon  as  his  vessels  were  ready  for  sea.  The  impres 
sion  made  on  the  mind  of  Pedrarias  was  deepened 
by  the  enemies  of  Nunez  at  Darien,  and  particular 
ly  by  the  deportment  of  Garribito,  who  had  been 
sent  to  Acla  to  ascertain  the  truth  of  the  report  re 
lative  to  the  change  of  governor.  Finding  that  the 
intended  successor  of  Pedrarias  had  died  in  the 
very  harbour,  he  made  such  indiscreet  declarations 
relative  to  the  intentions  of  Balboa,  as  occasioned 
his  own  arrest,  and  the  transit  of  his  person  and 
papers  to  Darien.  Upon  his  examination,  he  re 
vealed  not  only  what  he  knew  with  respect  to  those 
intentions,  but  also,  all  that  he  conjectured.  These 
communications  alarmed  the  friends  of  Nunez  at 
Darien,  particularly  Hernando  de  Arguello,  who 
had  embarked  in  his  enterprize  a  great  portion  of 
his  fortune.  He  therefore  wrote  to  Nunez,  urging 
him  to  put  to  sea  immediately,  and  to  rely  on  the 
protection  of  the  Jeronimite  fathers  at  St.  Domingo, 
who  regarded  his  enterprize  as  promotive  of  the 
glory  of  God,  as  well  as  the  dominion  of  the  king. 
This  letter  fell  into  the  hands  of  Pedrarias,  and 
confirmed  his  belief  in  the  existence  of  a  plot 
against  his  authority,  and  involved  the  writer  in  the 
fate  of  his  friend.  With  them  perished  on  the  scaf 
fold,  as  fellow-conspirators,  Valderrabano,  Botello, 
and  Hernan  Mufios,  officers  of  Balboa. 

XLIX.  The  expedition  which  Nunez  had  plan 
ned,  was  suspended  by  his  death ;  but  was  shortly 
after  resumed  by  Giles  Gonzales,  who  was  author 
ized  by  the  king  to  appropriate  to  his  use  the  ves 
sels  which  the  former  had  built.  But  Pedrarias  re 
fusing  to  surrender  them,  Gonzales  constructed 
others,  from  timber  which  he  also  caused  to  be 

VOL.  II.  K 


HO  HISTORY    OF    A3IE1UCA.  [oil.  2. 

carried  across  the  isthmus  from  Acla,  with  the  sac 
rifice  of  one  hundred  and  twenty,  out  of  two  hun 
dred  men  under  his  command.  His  ships  were 
scarce  ready  for  sea,  before  they  were  destroyed  by 
the  worms.  Yet,  with  that  patience  and  resolution 
which  eminently  distinguished  the  Spaniards  in 
their  American  enterprizes,  he  applied  himself  to 
repair  this  disaster;  and  with  some  Indians  and 
Spaniards,  whom  Pedrarias  reluctantly  supplied,  by 
the  express  command  of  the  king,  he  recommenced 
his  labours  at  the  pearl  islands. 

L.  Soon  after  the  death  of  Nunez,  Pedrarias  pro 
ceeded  to  the  South  Sea,  leaving  Espinosa  captain- 
general  of  the  colony  at  Darien.  He  founded  the 
city  of  Panama ;  and  about  the  same  time,  Albitez 
built  another  town  at  Nombre  de  Dios.  These 
ports  were  for  many  years  the  depots  of  the  trade 
between  the  North  and  the  South  Seas.  Both  were 
very  unhealthy,  and  proved  the  graves  of  many 
thousand  Spaniards.  By  permission  of  the  king, 
the  government  of  the  colony  was  removed  from 
Santa  Maria  to  Panama,  whose  commodious  situa 
tion  contributed  greatly  to  facilitate  the  subsequent 
conquests  upon  the  Pacific  ocean. 

LI.  Lope  de  Sosa,  who  was  appointed  to  succeed 
Pedrarias,  arrived  with  his  chief  alcade,  the  licen 
tiate,  Alarconcillo,  at  Darien,  at  the  close  of  the 
year  1518.  But  he  died  at  the  entrance  of  the 
port.  Pedrarias,  therefore,  continued  in  the  exer 
cise  of  the  government,  for  which  he  received  a 
new  commission,  when  the  death  of  Sosa  was 
known  in  Spain. 

LII.  We  have  already  mentioned,  that  a  portion 
of  the  colonists  of  Darien  were  driven  to  the  island 
of  Cuba,  in  consequence  of  the  famine  and  pesti 
lence  which  prevailed  at  that  port,  soon  after  the 
arrival  of  Pedrarias.*  To  these  adventurers,  in 
*  1515. 


CH.  2.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  HI 

number  about  a  hundred,  and  of  the  better  class  of 
Spaniards,  Velasquez  proposed  a  voyage  of  discovery 
to  Veragua  or  Florida.  Frances  Hernandez  Cor 
dova,  a  wealthy  inhabitant  of  Cuba,  proffered  to 
lead  the  enterprize,  for  which  he  embarked  one 
hundred  and  ten  soldiers,  on  board  two  ships  and 
a  brigantine,  fitted  out  at  his  private  expense.  He 
was  accompanied  by  Alonzo  Goncalez,  a  priest 
from  Havana,  and  Antonio  Alaminos,  a  pilot  who 
had  served  under  the  first  admiral,  and  also  under 
Leon,  at  the  discovery  of  Florida.  The  expedition 
left  Havana  on  the  8th  of  February,  1517,  and  by 
the  advice  of  Alaminos,  pursued  a  westerly  course, 
which,  Columbus  had  always  taught,  would  lead  to 
the  greatest  discoveries.  After  sailing  twenty-one 
days,  they  observed  a  cape,  which  they  called  Ca- 
toche,  from  an  expression  of  the  natives,  signify 
ing  an  invitation  to  their  dwellings ;  and  they  af 
terwards  gave  to  the  country  the  name  of  Yucatan, 
from  a  corruption  of  certain  Indian  words,  a  name 
which  it  continues  to  bear. 

As  they  approached  the  shore,  the  Spaniards  des 
cried  a  large  town,  from  which  five  canoes  came 
off,  filled  with  people,  clad  in  cotton  jackets  without 
sleeves,  and  cotton  robes,  which  covered  their 
lower  limbs.  The  Castilians  were  alike  surprized 
and  rejoiced  at  this  discovery ;  for,  hitherto,  the 
nakedness  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  lands  they  had 
visited,  at  once  betrayed  the  absence  of  civiliza 
tion.  Above  thirty  of  the  Indians  unhesitatingly 
came  on  board  the  squadron,  and  displayed  their 
very  natural  admiration  of  what  they  beheld ;  and 
Cordova  strove,  by  kind  treatment  and  small  pres 
ents,  to  gain  their  good-will.  At  their  departure, 
they  invited  the  Spaniards,  by  signs,  to  land  ;  and 
on  the  next  morning  sent  twelve  canoes  to  bring 
them  on  shore.  The  Spaniards,  armed  in  their 
customary  manner,  but  without  suspicion  of  treach- 


112  HISTORY    OF   AMERICA.  [dl.  2. 

ery,  complied  with  their  request.  They  were  im 
mediately  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  the  people ; 
and  a  Cacique,  with  apparent  kindness,  invited 
them  to  his  dwelling,  which,  to  their  increased  as 
tonishment,  was  built  of  stone  and  mortar.  On 
their  way,  in  a  thick  wood,  at  a  signal  from  their 
guide,  they  were  assailed  by  a  multitude  of  war 
riors,  adorned  with  paint  and  feathers,  covered  with 
quilted  cotton  mail,  and  armed  with  wooden  swords 
edged  with  flint,  spears,  and  slings.  With  a  hideous 
shout,  responding  to  the  noise  of  their  musical  in 
struments,  they  poured  on  the  Spaniards  a  shower 
of  stones  and  arrows,  by  which  fifteen  were  wound 
ed,  and  immediately  advanced  to  a  close  encounter, 
fighting  with  great  resolution.  But  the  keen  edge 
of  the  Spanish  sword,  the  force  of  their  cross-bows, 
and  the  astounding  explosion  of  their  fire-arms,  put 
them  to  flight.  During  the  combat,  the  priest  Gon- 
$alez  found  his  way  into  a  stone  temple,  where  he 
discovered  many  hideous  idols  and  obscene  images 
of  men  and  women,  made  of  clay  ;  and  he  possessed 
himself  of  some  boxes  filled  with  similar  objects, 
of  a  smaller  size,  intermingled  with  ornaments  of 
gold.  Cordova  returned  to  his  ships  with  two  pris 
oners,  more  pleased  than  irritated,  at  the  conduct 
of  the  natives,  in  whose  art  and  warlike  disposition 
he  saw  the  advance  of  civilization.* 

LIII.  Following  the  coast  westward  for  fifteen 
days,  Cordova  arrived  at  a  large  town,  situated  on 
a  bay,  called  by  the  natives  Campeachy,  and  which 
he  supposed  to  be  the  mouth  of  a  river.  He  landed 
in  search  of  water,  which  he  obtained  from  a  well 
used  by  the  natives.  More  hospitably  received 
than  at  Catoche,  he  visited  the  town  and  several 
temples,  in  which  he  discovered  idols  of  monstrous 
shapes,  and  recent  stains  of  blood;  and,  to  his  great 

*  Herrera,  Dec.  2.  lib.  2. 


CH.  2.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  113 

astonishment,  wooden  crosses  covered  with  paint. 
From  one  of  the  temples  issued  a  train  of  priests, 
clad  in  long  white  mantles,  their  hair  gathered  in 
knots  around  the  head,  and  earthen  vessels  in  their 
hands,  in  which  they  burned  a  species  of  gum  be 
fore  the  Spaniards.  This  ceremony  does  not  ap 
pear  to  have  been  a  mark  of  respect,  but  rather  a 
superstitious  rite  performed  for  their  own  protec 
tion  ;  since  they  bade  the  Spaniards  depart  instant 
ly,  under  the  penalty  of  death,  and  demonstrated, 
at  the  same  time,  an  intention  to  resort  to  arms. 
Cordova,  unwilling  to  engage  in  a  useless  contest, 
with  an  enemy  whom  experience  had  taught  him 
was  to  be  dreaded,  instantly  departed.  He  landed 
again,  a  few  days  afterwards,  at  the  town  of  Poton- 
chan,  where  he  found  water  in  wells  near  the  tem 
ples,  as  at  Campeachy.  A  party  of  Indians  de 
manded  whether  he  came  from  the  countries  where 
the  sun  rises?  and  being  answered  in  the  affirma 
tive,  immediately  withdrew.  Cordova  spent  the 
night  on  shore,  but  he  was  disturbed  by  warlike 
noises  from  the  Indian  quarters,  arid  in  the  morn 
ing  beheld  himself  surrounded  by  a  host  of  ene 
mies.  A  cloud  of  missiles  poured  from  every  side, 
inflicted  innumerable  wounds  on  his  soldiers;  and 
he  received  himself  twelve  arrows  in  his  body. 
After  fighting  some  time  with  their  usual  skill  and 
bravery,  the  Spaniards  cut  their  way  to  the  boats, 
but  were  followed  even  into  the  sea  by  the  enemy, 
who  slew  forty-seven  outright,  captured  two  alive, 
and  wounded  many  ;  of  whom  five  died  soon  after 
they  reached  the  ships.  Discouraged  by  this  severe 
loss,  Cprdova  resolved  to  burn  one  of  his  ships, 
which  he  could  no  longer  man,  and  return  to  Cuba. 
He  touched  at  Florida,  where  he  lost  one  of  his 
crew,  who  was  captured  by  the  natives ;  several 
others  died  of  their  wounds  before  they  reached 
K2 


114  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [cH.  2. 

the  Havana,  and  he  himself  expired,  ten  days  after 
his  arrival. 

LIV.  This  expedition,  notwithstanding  its  unfor 
tunate  events,  produced  great  excitement  in  Cuba. 
A  comparatively  civilized  people,  clothed  in  seemly 
garments,  well  armed,  brave  ;  having  an  established 
religion,  massive  temples,  and  trains  of  priests  ;  and 
possessing  skill  in  working  metals,  had  been  dis 
covered  at  a  short  distance  from  that  island.  Gold 
too  had  been  seen  among  them,  and  the  prisoners 
reported  that  it  abounded  in  their  soil.  The  splen 
did  visions  which  occupied  the  adventurers  in  the 
second  voyage  of  Columbus,  descended  on  the  busy 
spirits  of  Cuba.  Valasquez,  who  earnestly  desired 
an  opportunity  to  recommend  himself  to  the  king, 
and  to  make  his  government  independent  of  the 
admiral,  gladly  engaged  in  measures  for  the  fur 
ther  exploration  of  Yucatan.  He  fitted  out  four 
ships,  on  board  of  which  two  hundred  and  forty 
volunteers,  some  of  whom  possessing  rank  and  for 
tune,  embarked,  under  the  command  of  Juan  de 
Grijalva,  who  was  instructed  to  observe  the  coun 
try,  to  trade  for  gold  with  the  natives,  and  in  case 
circumstances  permitted,  to  establish  a  colony 
there. 

LV.  He  sailed  from  St.  Jago  de  Cuba  on  the  8th 
of  April,  1518.  Alaminos,  again  chief  pilot,  pur 
sued  his  former  course,  but  the  ships  falling  off,  in 
consequence  of  the  currents,  he  made  the  island  of 
Cozumel,  on  the  eastern  coast  of  Yucatan.  The 
inhabitants  fled  at  sight  of  the  vessels  ;  but  two 
old  men  were  taken  in  a  field  of  maize,  and  dis 
missed  with  presents,  and  a  message  to  their  Ca 
cique.  They  never  returned.  But  whilst  the  Span 
iards  awaited  them,  a  young  and  agreeable  woman 
approached,  and  addressed  them  in  the  language 
of  Jamaica.  She  had  been  one  of  a  party  from  that 
island,  who.  two  years  before,  whilst  fishing  at  sea, 


CH.  2.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  115 

had  been  overtaken  by  a  storm,  and  driven  to  Cozu- 
mel ;  where  the  men,  ten  in  number,  including  her 
husband,  had  been  sacrificed  to  idols.  By  her 
agency,  Grijalva  again  attempted  to  communicate 
with  the  natives,  but  unable  to  allay  their  fears,  he 
departed,  taking  her  on  board  at  her  earnest  soli 
citation.  He  observed  here  many  hives  of  good 
honey,  batates,  (potatoes)  and  swine  similar  to 
those  of  the  islands.  Temples  of  stone,  surrounded 
with  walled  inclosures,  were  numerous,  and  con 
structed  with  considerable  art.  In  one  of  the  in 
closures  was  a  cross  made  of  lime,  three  yards 
high,  to  which  the  aborigines  addressed  their  pray 
ers  for  rain.  Other  crosses  of  like  material,  but 
painted,  were  common. 

LVI.  We  may  not  doubt  the  existence  of  these 
structures  similar  to  the  Christian  cross ;  but  we 
are  not  required  to  credit  the  conjectures  or  legends 
of  the  Spanish  historians  in  relation  to  them.  Go- 
mara  says,  it  was  supposed  that  Christians  had 
taken  refuge  here  when  Spain  was  subjected  by  the 
Moors.  Herrera,  however,  assures  us  that  the 
cause  of  the  Indian  veneration  for  this  symbol  was 
well  known  ;  and  relates,  that  in  1527  Montejo,  then 
engaged  in  the  conquest  of  Yucatan,  was  informed 
that  a  few  years  before  the  first  arrival  of  the  Span 
iards  in  that  country,  a  distinguished  priest  and 
prophet,  called  Chilam  Cambal,  predicted  the  speedy 
coming  from  the  east  of  a  race  of  white  men,  with 
beards,  who  would  raise  the  sign  of  the  cross,  be 
fore  which  their  native  gods  would  flee ;  and  that 
the  strangers  would  subdue  the  country,  but  would 
cherish  such  of  its  inhabitants  as  should  submit  to 
their  power,  and  abandoning  the  idols,  should  adore 
one  only  God,  whom  the  conquerors  worshipped: 
that  he  caused  a  large  cotton  cloth  to  be  woven, 
and  sacredly  preserved  as  a  sample  of  the  tribute 
that  would  be  exacted  ;  and  erected  in  the  court 


116  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [CH.  "2. 

of  one  of  the  temples  a  stone  cross,  which  he  pro 
nounced  the  true  tree  of  the  world,  to  be  regarded 
by  the  people  with  religious  veneration.  Hence  the 
inhabitants  so  earnestly  inquired  of  Cordova  whether 
he  came  from  the  place  where  the  sun  rises ;  and 
when  on  the  entrance  of  Montejo  into  Yucatan, 
they  beheld  his  adoration  of  the  cross,  they  con 
cluded  that  the  predictions  of  their  prophet  were 
true.  This  story  is  so  well  adapted  to  promote 
Spanish  interests,  and  the  prophecy  has  so  much 
the  air  of  succeeding  the  event,  that  our  scepti 
cism  on  the  subject  may  be  readily  excused. 

LVII.  From  Cozumel,  to  which  he  gave  the 
name  of  Santa  Cruz,  Grijalva  passed  to  Potonchan, 
on  the  opposite  coast  of  the  Peninsula,  surprized 
and  delighted  to  observe  many  large  and  beautiful 
edifices  of  masonry  with  elevated  points,  which 
seemed  white  in  the  distance,  and  had  the  appear 
ance  of  towers  and  pinnacles.  From  a  fancied  re 
semblance  between  this  country  and  Castile,  the 
Spaniards  called  it  New  Spain  ;  which  name,  until 
the  late  revolution,  distinguished  the  great  empire 
of  Mexico,  to  which  Yucatan  was  adjacent.  Gri 
jalva  effected  a  landing  at  Potonchan,  with  all  his 
troops,  under  cover  of  his  falconets,  but  not  with 
out  a  severe  contest  with  the  natives,  whom  the 
successful  encounter  with  Cordova  had  rendered 
confident.  The  commander,  and  many  of  the  sol 
diers,  were  wounded,  though  protected  after  the  In 
dian  manner  by  jackets  of  quilted  cotton.  On 
reaching  the  town,  he  found  it  deserted,  and  being 
unable  to  communicate  with  the  natives,  he  re 
turned  on  board  the  ships.  Sailing  round  the  pe 
ninsula,  he  next  landed  at  the  river  Tobasco,  which 
his  people  named  Grijalva.  The  natives  met  him 
on  the  shore,  in  battle  array ;  but  they  assumed  a 
more  pacific  deportment,  when  assured  by  the  pris 
oners,  who  had  been  captured  by  Cordova,  that  the 


CH.  2.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  117 

Spaniards  meditated  no  injury.  To  the  demands 
of  the  interpreters,  that  they  should  supply  the 
squadron  with  provision,  and  should  submit  them 
selves  to  the  king  of  Spain, — the  Indian  leaders 
replied,  that  they  would  willingly  furnish  their  vis 
itors  with  food  ;  but  that  having  already  a  sovereign, 
to  whom  they  owed  allegiance,  they  could  not  con 
ceive  why  just  men  should  seek  to  impose  another 
upon  them.  They  added,  that  these  demands 
should  be  reported  to  a  council  of  the  province, 
then  in  session ;  and  intimated  that  they  had  an 
ample  force  to  resist  invasion  or  punish  depreda 
tion.  Thus  warned,  Grijalva  retired  to  his  vessel, 
and  soon  after  thirty  Indians  appeared,  loaded  with 
roasted  fish,  fowls,  fruits,  and  bread,  together  with 
some  ornamental  presents,  consisting  of  a  mask  of 
wood,  and  several  articles  beautifully  wrought  in 
feathers,  for  which  they  received  some  European 
cutlery  and  toys. 

The  next  morning  the  Cacique  of  Tobasco,  with 
his  attendants  unarmed,  repaired  to  the  squadron, 
and  examined  with  curious  attention  the  many  novel 
objects  around  him.  He  presented  Grijalva  with  a 
complete  suit  of  armour,  made  of  light  boards  pla 
ted  with  gold  ;  and  many  ornaments  of  the  same 
metal,  and  others  interwoven  with  feathers,  and  in 
laid  with  precious  stones,  after  the  manner  of  Mo 
saic  :  the  whole  valued  at  three  thousand  pesos. 
In  return  for  this  rich  donation,  Grijalva  clothed 
the  chief  with  a  shirt  of  fine  linen,  a  suit  of  crim 
son  velvet,  and  a  pair  of  red  shoes,  and  gave  him  a 
variety  of  toys,  and  useful  articles  of  Spanish  work 
manship. 

LVIII.  From  Tobasco,  the  Spanish  commander 
followed  the  coast  to  the  northwest.  At  the  mouth 
of  a  river,  which  he  called  Banderas,  (or  the  flags) 
a  number  of  people  invited  him  to  land,  waving 
long  flags  of  white  cloth  attached  to  the  points  of 


118  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [('II.  2. 

their  spears.  They  received  him  with  much  re 
spect,  burnt  incense  of  gum  copal  before  him,  pre 
sented  him  with  bread,  fruit,  arid  fowls,  and  readily 
bartered  wrought  gold  for  European  wares.  This 
show  of  courtesy,  the  Spaniards  afterwards  learned, 
was  by  the  express  order  of  Montezuma,  the  sove 
reign  of  Mexico,  in  whose  dominions  they  had  now 
arrived,  and  to  whom  his  officers  had  sent  informa 
tion,  by  means  of  pictures  painted  on  cotton  cloth, 
of  the  proceedings  of  Cordova,  and  of  the  arrival 
of  Grijalva  on  the  coast.  Understanding  the  chief 
object  of  these  visitors  to  be  the  exchange  of  their 
commodities  for  gold,  he  commanded  his  subjects 
to  trade  with  them,  and  to  ascertain  what  other 
purposes  they  had  in  view.  Numerous  prophecies 
had  foretold  the  overthrow  of  the  empire  of  this 
prince,  by  a  race  of  warriors  from  the  east,  and  he 
therefore  very  naturally  entertained  a  lively  and 
anxious  curiosity  in  regard  to  these  extraordinary 
strangers. 

LIX.  At  some  small  islands  west  of  the  river 
Banderas,  the  Spaniards  beheld  the  bloody  evidence 
that  the  religion  of  the  country  was  stained  by  hu 
man  sacrifices.  In  one  of  the  temples,  the  altars 
and  walls  were  polluted  with  recent  blood,  and  the 
bodies  of  five  victims,  cruelly  mangled,  were  strew 
ed  on  the  pavement.  In  another,  four  priests,  clad 
in  long  black  mantles,  were  engaged  in  offering  to 
their  idols  two  boys,  from  whose  bosoms  they  were 
cutting  the  yet  palpitating  hearts.  One  of  these 
islands  Grijalva  called  the  Isle  of  Sacrifices,  and 
another  St.  Juan  de  Ulloa.  Thence  he  dispatched 
Peter  Alvarado  to  Cuba,  with  the  gold  and  various 
articles  he  had  collected,  and  a  full  account  of  his 
discoveries. 

LX.  He  pursued  his  voyage  to  the  province  of 
Panuco,  along  a  coast  chequered  with  towns  and 
flourishing  plantations,  pleasing  testimonials  of  a 


CH.  2.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  119 

numerous,  skilful,  and  industrious  population.    He 
landed  at  several  places,  and  performed  the  cere 
monies  usual  with  the  Spaniards  on  taking  posses 
sion  of  a  country,  demonstrating  his  confidence  in 
the  title  of  his  sovereign  to  the  soil  of  the  new 
world,  even  when  possessed  by  a  state  refined  in 
policy,  and  advanced  in  civilization.     Some  of  his 
officers  considered,  that  in  the  present  case,  these 
ceremonies  were  useless  forms,  unless    a  colony 
were  planted  in  some  proper  station,  which  might 
be  the  germ  of  the  future  power  of  Spain  in  this 
rich  and  extensive  empire.     Grijalva  also  inclined 
to  this  opinion.     But  the  counsel  of  others  more 
cautious,   if   not   more   prudent,   prevailed.     The 
squadron   had  been   long  at  sea,   its    stores  were 
nearly  exhausted,  the  number  of  effective  men  was 
reduced  by  death  or  sickness,  the  rainy  season  was 
approaching,  and  the  natives  were  not  only  numer 
ous,  but  politic  and  warlike.     In  addition  to  these 
reasons,  it  is  alleged  that  Grijalva  had  been  pri 
vately  but  positively  directed  by  Valasquez  not  to 
leave  a  colony  behind  him.     If  this  were  true,  the 
governor's  conduct  was  most  disingenuous.     The 
report  of  Alvarado  gave  him  the  most  sanguine 
hopes  with  respect  to  Mexico  ;  and  that  officer  hav 
ing  recommended  the  establishment  of  a  colony, 
represented  the  refusal  of  Grijalva  as  pusillanimous. 
We   may   remark,   that  the  wisest  caution  which 
checked  the  zeal  of  enterprize,  was  subject  to  mis 
construction  in  this  age,  when  the  spirit  of  adven 
ture  scorned  the  perils  of  battle,  and  the  more  dis 
couraging  labour  of  exploration,  with  its  attendant 
sufferings  of  pestilence  and  famine.     When  Gri 
jalva  returned  to  Cuba,  he  had  the  mortification  to 
find  an  expedition  preparing  for  the  conquest  of 
Mexico,  under  another  commander ;  and  to  receive 
instead  of  the  thanks  he  merited,   the   angry  re 
proaches  of  his  superior.     Valasquez,  transported 


120  HISTORY    OF   AMERICA.  [cH.  2. 

by  this  success,  immediately  after  the  arrival  of 
Alvarado,  dispatched  a  confidential  messenger  to 
Spain,  with  the  productions  of  the  country  he  had 
discovered,  to  solicit  an  enlargement  of  power 
adapted  to  his  future  projects. 

LXI.  The  communication  by  the  western  ocean 
with  the  East  Indies,  and  the  islands  whence  the 
Portuguese  drew  their  valuable  spices,  which  Fer 
dinand  ardently  desired,  but  was  destined  never  to 
know,  was  opened  to  his  fortunate  successor.  Al 
though  possessing  the  most  lively  zeal  for  maritime 
enterprize,  the  kings  of  Portugal  refused  some  of 
the  happiest  opportunities  of  obtaining  its  highest 
honours  and  richest  rewards.  Their  rejection  of 
the  services  of  Columbus  had  given  to  Spain  the 
new  world  ;  and  their  ingratitude  to  another  distin 
guished  navigator,  opened  for  that  kingdom  the  way 
to  the  southern  ocean  around  the  continent  of 
America.  Hernandez  de  Magallenes,  or  Magellan, 
as  the  English  writers  ca-11  him,  a  noble  subject  of 
Portugal,  who  had  accompanied  Alfonso  de  Albu 
querque  to  the  East  Indies,  and  had  subsequently 
served  against  the  Moors,  being  denied  an  adequate 
reward  by  Emmanual,  formally  renounced  his  al 
legiance  to  the  house  of  Braganza,  and  sought 
employment  in  Spain.*  He  proffered  to  demon 
strate  to  the  ministers  of  Charles,  that  the  Molucca, 
and  other  spice  islands,  were  within  the  limits  as 
signed  to  Spain  by  the  papal  bull,  and  to  discover 
a  passage  thither  by  some  strait  through  the  west 
ern  continent.  This  proposition  was  favourably 
received  by  Fonseca,  and  through  his  influence  was 
adopted  by  the  emperor,  who  bestowed  on  the  pro 
poser  high  marks  of  consideration ;  and  notwith 
standing  the  remonstrances  of  the  Portuguese  am 
bassadors,  and  their  private  efforts  to  regain  Ma- 

*  A.  D.  1517. 


CH.  2.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  121 

gellan,  entered  into  capitulations  for  the  perform 
ance  of  the  enterprize.*  To  this  agreement,  Ruy 
Falero,  a  Portuguese  astronomer  and  astrologer, 
who  had  also  retired  from  the  court  of  Lisbon  in 
disgust,  was  a  party,  but  in  consequence  of  a  dis 
pute  with  Magellan  for  precedence,  and  an  ill  state 
of  health,  he  did  not  embark  with  him.  By  these 
articles  it  was  stipulated,  that  no  other  person, 
without  the  permission  of  Magellan,  should,  for  the 
space  of  ten  years,  be  permitted  to  visit  the  coun 
tries  he  might  discover:  That  he  should  receive  the 
twentieth  of  the  net  profits  drawn  from  them ;  and 
if  the  islands  discovered  should  be  more  than  six 
in  number,  he  should  have  the  fifteenth  part  of  the 
profits  of  two  of  them:  That  the  government  of 
such  countries,  with  the  title  of  Adelantado,  should 
be  vested  in  himself  and  his  heirs,  born  in  Spain : 
That  he  and  they  might  send  by  the  king's  ships 
one  thousand  ducats  in  merchandize  annually,  and 
bring  back  the  produce,  paying  the  royal  duties : 
That  he  should  receive  one-fifth  of  all  the  ships 
brought  home  in  the  present  voyage ;  and  that  the 
emperor  should  furnish  five  ships,  two  of  one  hun 
dred  and  thirty,  two  of  ninety,  and  one  of  sixty 
tons,  with  two  hundred  arid  thirty-four  people  paid 
and  victualled  for  two  years. 

LXII.  This  squadron  left  San  Lucar  on  the  21st 
September,  1519,  and  touched  at  TenerifTe,  whence 
it  departed  on  the  3d  of  October  following.  After 
a  long  and  troublesome  passage,  amid  calms  and 
storms,  it  arrived,  on  the  13th  December,  on  the 
Rio  Janeiro.  The  natives  immediately  came  off 
in  their  canoes  with  fowls,  parrots,  and  other  birds, 
maize  and  fruits.  They  exchanged  for  a.  face  card 
seven  or  eight  fowls,  and  offered  a  slave  for  a 
hatchet,  but  Magellan  forbade  any  addition  of  this 

*  A.  D.  1519. 
VOL.  II.  L 


122  HISTORY    OF   AMERICA.  [CH.  2. 

kind  to  the  number  of  his  people,  not  only  that  he 
might  avoid  offence  to  the  Portuguese,  but  that  he 
might  husband  his  provisions.  He  resumed  his 
voyage  on  the  27th  December ;  and  on  the  3d  Jan 
uary,  1520,  entered  the  Rio  de  Solis,  so  named 
after  the  unfortunate  commander  who  perished 
here,  but  which  Magellan  called  La  Plata,  the  name 
by  which  it  is  now  known.  The  natives  generally 
avoided  intercourse  with  the  whites ;  one  only  vis 
ited  the  ships,  who,  being  shown  a  cup  of  silver, 
intimated  by  signs  that  that  metal  abounded  in  the 
country. 

LXIII.  On  the  6th  February,  in  40°  S.  L.  Ma 
gellan  discovered  the  gulf  of  Saint  Matthew;  where, 
not  finding  anchorage,  he  proceeded  to  another  bay, 
called  by  his  seamen  Las  Patos,  from  the  abun 
dance  of  geese  found  there  ;  and  on  Easter  Sunday 
made  the  river  St.  Julien  in  49|°  S.  L.  where  he 
resolved  to  spend  the  winter  of  the  southern  hemi 
sphere.  This  determination  was  not  received  by 
his  people,  already  weary  of  the  voyage,  and  des 
perate  of  its  issue,  without  murmurs ;  and  though 
with  qualities  which  commanded  respect  and  en 
gaged  affection,  he  was  able  to  appease  the  impa 
tience  of  the  sailors,  his  officers  proved  refractory. 
The  captains  of  two  of  the  vessels,  and  several 
officers  of  a  third,  openly  resisted  his  authority.  On 
sending  a  boat  to  the  ship  St.  Antonio  to  obtain  some 
men,  the  boatmen  were  warned  off  by  the  watch, 
and  informed  that  the  captain  and  pilot  had  been 
confined,  the  master  hanged,  and  that  Gasper  de 
Queseda  was  in  command.  Upon  these  tidings, 
Magellan  ordered  the  boat  to  return  to  that,  and 
the  other  ships,  and  to  inquire  for  whom  they  were. 
Queseda  replied,  for  the  king  and  himself;  Luis 
de  Mendoza,  of  the  Victoria,  and  Juan  de  Carta 
gena,  who  had  already  once  been  imprisoned  for 
disobedience,  gave  a  like  answer.  Juan  Rodrigo 


CH.  2.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  123 

Serrano,  of  the  San  Jago,  declared  himself  for  the 
king  and  captain  Magellan.  Prompt  and  temera 
rious  courage  was  perhaps  the  only  proper  remedy 
on  this  occasion ;  and  the  captain-general  immedi 
ately  preparing  his  ship,  the  Capitana,  for  battle, 
directed  a  boat  with  thirty  chosen  men,  and  five  in 
the  skiff,  to  the  ship  of  Mendoza,  with  orders  that 
the  men  in  the  skiff  should  board  him,  with  a  let 
ter,  and  whilst  he  was  engaged  in  the  perusal, 
should  stab  him  with  their  daggers.  This  was  punc 
tually  executed,  and  the  boat's  crew  entering  im 
mediately,  the  Victoria  submitted,  the  major  part 
of  her  people  being  friendly  to  Magellan.  The 
Antonio  was  also  easily  conquered ;  her  crew,  re 
fusing  to  second  the  efforts  of  Queseda,  fled  be 
low,  to  avoid  the  fire  of  the  Capitana.  The  Con 
ception  submitted  without  contest.  The  punish 
ment  of  the  mutinous  officers  was  severe,  but  mer 
ited.  The  body  of  Mendoza  was  ignominiously 
quartered.  Queseda  was  hung  and  dismembered 
by  his  own  servant,  who  bought  his  life  by  becom 
ing  the  executioner  of  his  master.  Cartagena  was 
abandoned  on  this  desert  coast,  and  a  French  cler 
gyman,  who  subsequently  endeavoured  to  excite 
revolt,  was  condemned  to  share  his  fate.  The  in 
ferior  mutineers  were  pardoned. 

LXIV.  The  cold  in  the  bay  of  St.  Julien  was  so 
severe,  that  several  of  the  seamen  lost  their  hands 
by  the  frost.  The  ground  was  covered  with  snow, 
and  during  the  first  two  months  no  indication  was 
seen  of  any  inhabitants.  At  the  end  of  that  time, 
soven  natives  came  on  board  the  squadron,  who 
,vere  remarkable  for  their  great  bulk  and  height, 
the  smallest  being  greater  than  the  largest  man  in 
Spain.  Nor  was  their  appetite  less  extraordinary 
than  their  size ;  for  being  supplied  with  food,  the 
seven  ate  a  quantity  usually  allotted  to  twenty  men. 


124  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [cH.  2. 

They  were  clad  in  mantles  of  skins,  and  armed 
with  bows  and  arrows  pointed  with  flints. 

LXV.  When  the  winter  was  drawing  to  a  close, 
Serrano  was  dispatched  with  one  of  the  vessels  to 
explore  the  coast.  At  twenty  leagues  south  of  St. 
Julien,  he  entered  a  river  which  he  called  Santa 
Cruz,  where  he  employed  himself  for  several  days 
in  fishing  and  getting  seals.  His  vessel  was  driven 
on  shore  in  a  violent  gale ;  and  immediately  went 
to  pieces.  The  crew  were  saved,  but  were  not  able 
to  rescue  any  thing  from  the  wreck.  They  rejoined 
the  squadron  by  a  difficult  and  laborious  journey 
over  land,  suffering  severely  from  cold  and  hunger. 
Having  remained  in  the  bay  of  St.  Julien  from  the 
commencement  of  April  to  the  24th  of  August, 
Magellan  proceeded  to  Santa  Cruz,  where  he  re 
mained  until  the  close  of  October.  Thence  he  held 
a  southward  course,  amid  continual  storms,  to  the 
Cape  de  las  Virgines,  on  the  north  coast  of  a  deep 
indenture,  through  which  a  passage  to  the  other 
sea  appeared  so  probable,  that  he  resolved  to  ex 
amine  it.  Two  vessels  were  sent,  singly,  with  or 
ders  to  explore  the  inlet  for  five  days.  One  re 
ported  that  it  was  composed  of  shallow  bays,  sur 
rounded  by  high  banks ;  but  the  other,  that  it  was 
certainly  a  strait,  since  she  had  sailed  three  days 
without  discovering  an  issue ;  and  the  current  in 
creasing  in  rapidity,  and  stronger  than  the  tides, 
must  discharge  itself  through  some  opening  of  the 
land.  Magellan  concluded  this  to  be  the  passage 
he  sought,  but  prudently  resolved  to  inspect  it 
more  closely  before  he  ventured  into  it  with  his 
whole  fleet.  The  St.  Antonio  performed  this  ser 
vice,  and  finding  no  outlet  after  a  voyage  of  fifty 
leagues,  his  opinion  was  confirmed ;  and  he  called 
a  council  of  his  officers  to  determine  whether  they 
should  pass  the  strait.  By  their  report  the  squad 
ron  had  three  months'  provisions ;  and  the  general 


CH.  2.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  125 

opinion  was  in  favour  of  continuing  the  voyage. 
But  the  pilot  of  the  Antonio  dissented,  represent 
ing  that  any  delay  by  calms  or  storms,  would  con 
sume  their  short  stock  of  provisions,  and  expose 
the  fleet  to  inevitable  destruction,  and  that  having 
succeeded  in  finding  the  strait,  it  would  be  most 
prudent  to  return  to  Spain,  and  obtain  another 
squadron  for  passing  it.  But  Magellan  declaring  that 
he  would  eat  the  hides  of  his  rigging  sooner  than 
abandon  the  enterprize,  and  forfeit  the  pledge  he 
had  given  the  emperor,  issued  immediate  orders  for 
prosecuting  the  voyage.  Before  quitting  the  en 
trance  of  the  strait,  he  sent  a  party  on  shore  to 
view  the  country,  who  discovered  at  a  short  dis 
tance  a  house,  in  which  were  more  than  two  hun 
dred  sepulchres,  where  the  Indians,  visiting  the 
sea-shore  in  the  summer  season,  were  accustomed 
to  bury  their  dead.  On  the  strand,  the  party  saw 
the  dead  body  of  a  large  whale,  and  many  bones 
of  the  same  animal,  whence  Magellan  inferred  that 
the  place  was  subject  to  great  tempests.  The  shore 
was  rugged  and  cold,  and  from  the  fires  kindled  by 
the  natives  at  night,  he  named  the  country  Terra 
del  Fuego. 

LXVI.  On  proceeding  further,  he  discovered  an 
other  branch  of  the  sea,  which  he  directed  the  St. 
Antonio  to  explore,  and  to  return  in  three  days. 
With  the  other  vessels  he  continued  his  course  for 
one  day,  and  then  cast  anchor  to  await  her  report. 
After  the  lapse  of  six  days,  she  not  appearing,  he 
dispatched  the  Victoria  in  quest  of  her ;  and  after  a 
further  delay  of  three  days,  he,  with  the  remainder 
of  the  squadron,  joined  the  latter  vessel  in  the 
search,  in  which  he  fruitlessly  spent  six  more  days. 
A  loss  of  time  which  he  deeply  regretted,  on 
account  of  his  limited  stock  of  provisions.  Re 
suming  his  voyage  to  the  westward,  after  twenty 
days,  o  *he  27th  November,  1520,  he  entered  the 
L2 


128  HISTORY   OP    AMERICA.  [cfl.  2. 

Great  South  Sea,  giving  thanks  to  God  that  he  had 
been  the  first  to  discover  the  western  passage  to 
India,  which  had  been  so  long  and  ardently  sought. 

LXVII.  The  St.  Antonio  endeavoured  to  rejoin 
the  squadron,  and  had  anchored  at  a  port  to  which 
Magellan  had  given  the  name  of  Sadinas,  on  ac 
count  of  the  many  fish  of  that  kind  he  had  caught 
there.  Having  fired  guns,  and  made  other  signals 
without  effect,  the  captain,  Mesquita,  would  have 
made  further  quest  for  the  general,  but  was  pre 
vented  by  the  pilot  Gomez,  a  Portuguese,  and  the 
recorder  Guerra,  whom  Magellan  had  made  treasu 
rer.  They  seized,  stabbed,  and  imprisoned  the 
captain,  under  pretence  that  he  had  been  a  chief 
counsellor  of  the  punishment  inflicted  on  the  re 
bellious  officers.  Commanded  by  Guerra,  the  ship 
returned  by  the  coast  of  Guinea  to  Spain,  and  ar 
rived  at  St.  Lucar  at  the  close  of  the  month  of 
March,  1521.  Having  by  torture  compelled  Mes 
quita  to  support  what  they  chose  to  relate,  the  mu 
tineers  endeavoured  to  defend  themselves  by  accu 
sing  Magellan  of  great  cruelty,  which,  they  said, 
was  induced  by  representations  made  to  him  of  de 
lay  and  mismanagement  in  the  progress  of  the  voy 
age.  They  delivered  their  prisoner  to  the  public 
authorities,  who,  upon  examination  of  all  the  crew, 
deemed  it  expedient  to  commit  him  and  the  muti 
neers  to  the  custody  of  the  law,  until  more  full  in 
formation  could  be  obtained  ;  and  to  inform  the 
council  and  governors  of  the  Indies  of  the  fate  of 
Mendoza,  Quesada,  and  Cartagena.  For  the  rescue 
of  the  latter,  immediate  orders  were  given. 

LXVIII.  The  strait,  which  bears  the  name  of  its 
discoverer,  is  a  hundred  leagues  from  mouth  to 
mouth,  bordered  by  high  and  rugged  shores,  and 
which  in  many  places  are  not  more  than  a  cannon- 
shot  distant  from  each  other.  Upon  entering  the 
southern  ocean,  Magellan  followed  the  coast  of  the 


CH.2.]  SPANISH  DISCOVERIES.  127 

continent  to  the  northward,  exposed  to  violent 
tempests,  until  the  18th  of  December,  when  he 
reached  32|°  of  southern  latitude.  As  he  approach 
ed  the  warm  climates  the  wind  became  large,  and 
as  he  had  it  aft,  he  directed  his  course  N.W.  and 
W.N.W.  till  he  reached  the  line.  He  followed  this 
course  for  more  than  thirty  days,  during-  which  his 
crews  suffered  so  severely  from  the  want  of  provi 
sions  and  water,  that  many  became  sick,  and  twen 
ty  of  them  perished.  At  the  end  of  that  time,  he 
discovered  two  small  uninhabited  islands,  which  he 
called  Las  Desventuradas,  or  the  Unfortunate 
Islands,  because  he  found  here  neither  inhabitants 
nor  refreshment.* 

LXIX.  Chagrined,  but  not  discouraged,  he  pur 
sued  his  way  through  the  immense  ocean  for  eight 
hundred  leagues,  until  the  20th  of  January,  when, 
in  south  lat.  15°  48',  he  fell  in  with  two  beautiful 
islands,  inhabited  by  a  rude  people,  who  worship 
ped  idols,  and  who  navigated  in  canoes,  furnished 
with  latine  sails  of  the  palm-tree,  the  eight  leagues 
which  separated  the  one  island  from  the  other. 
These  small  islands  yielded  but  a  scanty  supply  of 
provisions  for  his  people,  now  reduced  to  the  last 
state  of  destitution,  and  who  had  for  weeks  sub 
sisted  on  an  allowance  of  food  barely  sufficient  to 
sustain  life,  and  were  also  suffering  under  the 
scurvy,  the  most  baleful  disease  to  which  seamen 
are  subjected.  His  communication  with"  the  in 
habitants,  too,  was  interrupted  by  deeds  of  violence 
to  which  their  ferocity  and  cupidity  gave  rise.  So 
powerful  with  them  was  this  latter  passion,  that 
though  many  of  their  countrymen  were  slain  by 
the  artillery  of  the  ships,  the  survivors  still  sought 
to  traffic  with  the  strangers.  From  these  islands, 
called  by  the  Spaniards  Las  Velas  Latinas,  the 

*  Herrera,  Dec.  2.  lib.  9.  ch.  15. 


128  HISTORY   OP   AMERICA.  [cH.  2« 

squadron  proceeded  by  the  same  course  three  hun 
dred  leagues,  to  a  large  group  of  islets,  whence, 
piloted  by  a  petty  prince  of  the  country,  it  reached 
Zebu,  one  of  the  chief  of  the  Philippine  Islands, 
abounding  with  inhabitants,  and  stocked  with  rich 
fruits  and  other  products  of  the  Tropics.  Having 
contracted  a  firm  peace  with  one  of  the  kings  of 
Zebu,  by  the  singular  ceremony  of  drinking  each 
other's  blood,  Magellan  obtained  a  speedy  and  full 
supply  of  provisions,  by  which  his  people  were 
immediately  restored  to  health. 

LXX.  This  island  was  divided  among  several 
chiefs  or  kings,  one  of  whom  embraced  the  Chris 
tian  faith,  and  declared  himself  the  vassal  of  the 
crown  of  Castile.  He  being  at  war  with  his  neigh 
bours,  Magellan,  desirous  at  once  of  displaying  his 
power  and  acquiring  additional  subjects  for  the  em 
peror,  required  the  other  princes  also  to  acknow 
ledge  his  supremacy.  Two  of.  them  immediately 
complied ;  but  others  treating  his  commands  with 
contempt,  he  made  a  nocturnal  excursion  into  their 
territories,  whence  he  retired  with  considerable 
plunder.  But  in  a  subsequent  attempt,  contrary 
to  the  advice  of  his  officers,  to  subjugate  the  sove 
reign  of  the  adjacent  island  of  Mata,  this  adventur 
ous  and  able  navigator  fell  a  victim  to  his  injustice, 
being  overpowered  and  slain  in  combat.  Upon  his 
death,  Duarte  Barbosa  was  elected  general,  who, 
with  rash  confidence,  ventured  on  shore  with  a 
small  party  of  seamen  to  receive  from  the  Christian 
king  a  tributary  present  to  the  emperor,  and  was 
slaughtered  by  the  united  forces  of  all  the  chiefs 
of  Zebu,  the  Christian  king  having  been  compelled 
by  the  others  to  join  for  his  destruction.  The  loss 
of  men  which  the  squadron  had  sustained,  now 
rendering  it  impossible  to  navigate  the  three  ves 
sels  in  safety,  they  retired  to  a  neighbouring  island, 


CH.  2.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  129 

where  one  was  destroyed,  and  the  remainder  put 
under  the  command  of  Juan  Carvallo. 

LXXI.  Under  the  direction  of  this  officer,  the 
Spaniards  visited  several  islands  in  the  great  In 
dian  archipelago;  amongst  others,  that  of  Borneo; 
and  at  length,  on  the  8th  November,  1521,  they 
made  the  island  of  Tidore,  one  of  the  Moluccas,  to 
the  surprize  of  the  Portuguese,  who  could  not  com 
prehend  how  they  had  gained  this  seat  of  their  most 
valuable  commerce  by  a  western  route.  Here,  and 
in  the  adjacent  isles,  the  Spaniards  found  a  people 
acquainted  with  the  benefits  of  trade,  and  willing 
to  open  an  intercourse  with  a  new  nation.  Laden 
with  a  rich  cargo  of  spices,  and  the  distinguished 
productions  of  the  other  islands  she  had  visited, 
the  Victory,  which  was,  of  the  two  ships,  best  fitted 
for  a  long  voyage,  set  sail  for  Europe,  under  the 
command  of  Juan  Sebastian  del  Cano,  in  January, 
1522.  He  followed  the  course  of  the  Portuguese, 
by  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and,  after  many  disas 
ters  and  sufferings,  arrived  at  San  Lucar  on  the 
seventh  of  September,  having  circumnavigated  the 
globe  in  three  years  and  twenty-eight  days.  Thus 
the  Spanish  nation  acquired,  in  addition  to  the 
honour  of  discovering  the  western  hemisphere,  that 
of  first  determining,  by  experiment,  the  form  and 
extent  of  the  planet  which  we  inhabit. 

LXXII.  It  does  not  fall  within  our  design,  to 
trace  particularly  the  history  of  the  Spanish  efforts 
consequent  on  the  discoveries  of  Magellan ;  but 
we  may  be  indulged  in  narrating  the  result  of  their 
endeavours  to  appropriate  to  themselves  the  trade 
of  the  spice  islands,  which  they  had  so  ardently 
desired,  since  it  affords  a  striking  example  of  the 
mutability  of  human  purposes.  The  scientific  men 
of  Spain  contended,  that  the  Moluccas,  and  seve 
ral  other  of  the  richest  countries  of  the  East,  fell 
to  the  Spanish  crown  under  the  partition  of  Alex- 


130  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [cH.  2. 

ander  VI.  Her  merchants  eagerly  engaged  in  the  lu 
crative  and  alluring  commerce  now  opened  to  them. 
The  Portuguese  resisted  these  encroachments,  by 
remonstrance  and  negotiation  in  Europe,  and  in 
Asia  by  the  force  of  arms.  The  emperor,  absorbed 
by  his  many  schemes  and  operations,  and  unable  to 
extend  proper  protection  to  his  subjects,  was  at 
length  induced,  by  the  low  state  of  his  finances,  to 
assign  his  claim  to  the  Moluccas  to  the  Portuguese 
for  three  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  ducats.  He 
reserved,  however,  to  the  crown  of  Castile,  the 
right  of  reviving  its  pretensions  on  repayment  of 
that  sum.  But  this  money  was  never  repaid,  and 
Spain  was  finally  excluded  from  a  branch  of  com 
merce,  in  which  she  had  engaged  with  sanguine 
expectations  of  profit.* 

*  2  Robertson's  America,  57. 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  131 


CHAPTER  III. 

I.  View  of  the  West  Indies.  Improper  generaliza 
tion  of  authors  in  describing  America. . .  .II.  Geo 
graphical  notice  of  the  West  Indies. . .  .III.  Of 
the  Gulf,  or  Florida  stream. . .  .IV.  Transparency 
of  the  sea. . .  .V.  Fresh-water  springs  in  the  sea. 
. . .  .VI.  Mountains  of  the  West  Indies. . .  .VII.  Ge 
ology  of  the  islands  imperfectly  known. . .  .VIII. 
Climate  and  seasons. . .  .IX.  Land  and  sea  breezes. 
. .  .  .X.  Hurricanes. . .  .XI.  Of  the  inhabitants. 
Two  distinct  races. . .  .XII.  Of  the  Charaibe  race. 
1.  Origin.  2.  Character — Cannibalism.  3.  Per 
sons  and  ornaments.  4.  Education.  5.  Initia 
tion  of  their  chiefs.  6.  Initiation  of  a  monarch 
of  the  Guiana  Charibs.  7.  Initiation  of  a  Boyez 
or  priest.  8.  Government.  9.  Marriage.  10. 
Peculiar  customs.  11.  Dwellings.  12.  Arts.  13. 
Food.  14.  Burials.  15.  Religion.  16.  lan 
guage.  . .  .XIII.  Of  the  Arrowauks.  1.  Origin.  2. 
Their  persons  and  constitution.  3.  Exercises.  4. 
Intellectual  acquirements.  5.  Government.  6. 
Funeral  ceremonies.  7.  Areytos,  or  national  songs. 
8.  Religion.  9.  Domestic  arts.  10.  Extirpation 
of  the  Arrowauks. . .  .XIV.  Of  the  quadrupeds  of 
the  West  Indies.  1.  The  Agouti.  2.  The  Pe- 
cary.  3.  The  Armadillo.  4.  The  Oppossum.  5. 
The  Raccoon.  6.  The  Musk  Rat.  7.  The  Alco. 

8.  The  Guana XV.  Of  the  Mountain  Crab 

XVI.  Of  Serpents XVII.  Lizzards XVIII. 

Insects.  1.  Scorpions.  2.  Snails.  3.  Fire-jlics. 
4.  Phalanges.  5.  Spiders.  6.  Flying  tiger. 

XIX.  Birds.    1.  Frigates.    2.  Flamingo.    3. 

Ducks,  Geese,  fyc.  4.  Turkeys,  $c.  5.  Parrots 
— Anas  and  Canidcs.  6.  Ortolan,  or  Rice  Bird. 
7.  Humming  Birds.  8.  Indian  mode  of  taking 


132  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [CH.  3. 

water-foicl XX.  Fish.     I.   The  Remora—its 

use  in  pursuit  of  other  fish.  2.  Manati.  3.  Green 
Turtle. . .  .XXI.  Vegetable  productions  useful  in 
the  arts.  I.  The  Cedar.  2.  The  Acajou,  or  Ma 
hogany  tree.  3.  The  Acomas.  4.  The  Rose 
wood.  5.  The  Indian-wood.  6.  The  Lignum 
Vita.  7.  The  Iron-wood.  8.  The  Brazil-wood. 
9.  TheRoucou.  10.  The  Cotton-plant  and  Cot 
ton-tree.  11.  The  Soap-trees.  12.  Indian  Fig- 
tree.  13.  Coral-wood — Candle-wood.  14.  The 
Gourd-tree. . .  .XXII.  Vegetables  producing  food, 
4»c.  1.  Anana,  or  Pine  Apple.  2.  The  Goyava. 
3.  The  Papaw.  4.  The  Avocado  Pear.  5.  The 
Momin-tree.  6.  The  Junipa.  7.  The  Raisin- 
tree.  8.  The  fruit-bearing  Acajou  or  Cashew 
Nut.  Q.Thelcaco.  10.  The  Hog-plum.  11. 
The  Palm-tree — the  Prickly -palm — the  Franc- 
palm^  or  Mountain-cabbage — the  Latanier-palm 
— the  Cocoa-nut  tree.  12.  The  Cacao  or  Choco 
late.  13.  The  Cassia-tree.  14.  The  Plantain — 
Banana.  15.  The  Prickly  Pear.  16.  Indian 
Pepper.  17.  Varieties  of  Pulse,  <fyc.  IS.  Maize. 
19.  Manioc.  20.  Yam.  21.  Potato. 

I.  HAVING  now  traced  the  course  of  the  Spanish 
discoveries,  until  the  vast  continents  of  North  and 
South  America,  and  the  great  chain  of  the  West 
India  Islands  were  made  known  to  Europe,  we  may 
pause  and  take  a  view  of  the  New  World  more 
particular  than  could  be  conveniently  given  in 
the  foregoing  narrative. 

In  the  performance  of  a  similar  labour,  other 
writers  have  compressed  into  one  view  the  whole 
western  hemisphere,  notwithstanding  it  comprizes 
every  variety  of  climate,  great  diversity  of  animal 
and  vegetable  life,  and  almost  every  modification 
of  physical  and  moral  circumstances  which  serve 
to  form  the  human  character.  It  is  scarce  possible, 


CII.  3.]  SPANISH   DISCOVERIES.  133 

in  such  a  course,  to  avoid  confusion,  obscurity,  and 
error ;  though  it  be  pursued  with  a  mind  unpreju 
diced,  and  honestly  disposed  to  seek  for  truth.  But 
if  an  author  have  a  preconceived  system  to  main 
tain,  his  facts  will  be  discoloured  or  perverted  ;  and 
the  reader  is  in  danger  of  carrying  with  him, 
throughout  the  work,  the  false  conceptions  of  the 
writer.  Thus,  some  European  writers  on  Ameri 
can  history,  having  assumed  the  hypothesis  that  the 
New  World,  especially  in  its  animal  productions, 
is  inferior  to  the  old,  have,  in  order  to  support  it, 
violated  truth  and  justice,  in  many  essential  particu 
lars  relative  to  the  character  of  the  aboriginal  in 
habitants,  and  the  description  of  the  lower  orders 
of  animal  nature.  We  shall  have  occasion,  here 
after,  to  adduce  many  instances  in  support  of  this 
accusation. 

Avoiding  the  course  which  we  have  thus  con 
demned,  we  shall  divide  the  great  picture  of  Ame 
rica  into  several  scenes,  and  consider  them  as  they 
depend  upon  distinctive  physical  and  moral  princi 
ples,  upon  the  variety  of  climate,  and  degrees  of 
civilization.  In  conformity  with  this  plan,  we  now 
confine  ourselves  to  a  general  view  of  the  West  In 
dia  islands  only — having,  in  relation  to  them,  all 
the  information  which  is  attainable ;  and  having 
narrated  the  history  of  their  inhabitants,  from  the 
time  of  their  discovery  until  the  work  of  their  ex 
tinction  had  made  frightful  progress.  These  islands, 
then,  may  be  considered  in  reference  to  their  cli 
mate,  their  geological  construction,  and  their  ani 
mal  and  vegetable  productions. 

II.  The  group  of  islands,  in  form  of  an  arch, 
between  the  two  continents  of  America,  extend 
from  the  gulf  of  Florida  to  that  of  Venezuela. 
They  were  at  first  called  Antilles,  and  have  been 
vaguely  denominated  the  West  Indies,  in  conse 
quence  of  the  error  of  Columbus.  Modern  geogra- 

VOL.  IJ.  M 


134  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [cH.  3. 

phers,  from  respect  to  his  memory,  have  denomi 
nated  them  the  Columbian  Archipelago.  The  term 
Great  Antilles  is  still  applied  to  Cuba,  Jamaica, 
St.  Domingo,  and  Porto  Rico,  whilst  the  groups  to 
the  south  of  these  are  sometimes  called  the  Less 
Antilles.  The  English,  the  French,  and  the  Span 
iards,  have  affixed  different  meanings  to  the  terms 
Windward  and  Leeward  Islands  ;  the  acceptation 
of  this  nautical  phrase  depending  on  the  position 
of  the  navigator,  and  the  tract  which  he  proposes 
to  follow. 

III.  That  part  of  the  ocean  between  these  islands, 
South  America  and  the  coasts  of  Mosquitos,  Costa 
Rica,  and  Darien,  is  called  the  Caribean  Sea, 
and  is  remarkable  for  several  phenomena,  among 
which,  the  currents  traversing  it  merit  our  particu 
lar  attention.  The  gentle  motion  of  the  Atlantic 
between  the  tropics,  first  noted  by  Columbus,  is 
steady  and  uniform,  at  the  rate  of  nine  or  ten  miles 
every  twenty-four  hours,  and  is  generally  known 
as  the  equinoctial  current.  Between  the  Canary 
Islands  and  the  mouth  of  the  Orinoco,  the  ocean 
through  which  it  flows  is  so  calm  and  free  from 
storms,  that  the  Spaniards  have  given  it  the  name 
of  the  Ladies'  Sea. 

The  new  continent  forms  a  barrier  to  the  further 
westward  progress  of  the  current,  which,  changing 
its  direction,  at  Veragua,  to  the  northward,  bends 
into  all  the  windings  of  the  coasts  of  Mosquitos, 
Costa  Rica,  and  Honduras,  and  enters  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico  through  the  strait  formed  by  Cape  Catoche 
and  Saint  Antonio.  Thence  it  follows  the  sinuosi 
ties  of  the  Mexican  shores,  from  Vera  Cruz  to  the 
Rio  del  Norte,  and  the  mouths  of  the  Mississippi, 
and  thence  to  the  southern  point  of  Florida.  At 
length,  having  made  the  circuit  of  the  compass, 
the  current  turns  again  to  the  north,  and  rushes 
into  the  ocean  through  the  Bahama  channel,  with 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  135 

great  impetuosity,  having1,  under  the  parallel  of 
Cape  Cannaveral,  the  velocity  of  a  torrent,  running 
about  five  miles  the  hour.  It  is  now  known  as  the 
Gulf  or  Florida  stream.  From  this  point  its  swift 
ness  diminishes  as  its  width  increases.  Between 
the  parallels  of  Charleston  and  Cape  Henlopen,  it 
is  from  forty  to  fifty  leagues  wide,  and  runs  from 
three  to  five  miles  the  hour.  In  the  latitude  of 
New- York,  the  temperature  of  the  stream  is  equal 
to  that  of  the  sea  at  Porto  Rico  and  the  Cape  de 
Verd  Islands.  In  the  meridian  of  Halifax,  it  ex 
pands  to  eighty  maritime  leagues  in  width,  and 
changes  its  course  to  the  east,  touching  with  its 
margin  the  extremity  of  the  banks  of  Newfound 
land,  called,  by  Volney,  the  bar  of  this  enormous 
maritime  river.  Thence  it  flows  to  the  Azores, 
and,  at  Corvo  and  Flores,  has  a  width  of  one  hun 
dred  and  sixty  leagues.  It  divides  itself  here  into 
two  branches,  one  of  which  is  impelled,  at  certain 
seasons  of  the  year,  towards  Norway  and  Iceland  ; 
and  the  other  seeks  the  strait  of  Gibraltar  and  the 
Madeira  and  Canary  Islands,  and  continuing  a  south- 
eastwardly  course,  pours  itself  upon  the  coast  of 
Africa,  between  Cape  Cantin  and  Cape  Bojador  ; 
having  thus  made  the  full  circuit  of  the  Atlantic 
ocean.  This  course  of  the  stream  accounts  for  the 
trunks  of  tropical  trees,  the  dead  bodies  of  Indians, 
and  other  matters  from  the  New  World,  which  have 
been  discovered  on  the  Azore  and  Canary  Islands. 

This  stream  is  recognized  by  the  navigator  by 
the  beautiful  blue  of  its  waters,  and  its  tempera 
ture  ;  being,  throughout,  hotter  than  its  watery 
banks.  It  carries  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  the  heat 
of  tropical  waters,  which  gradually  diminishes  as 
it  proceeds  towards  the  north.  On  the  banks  of 
Newfoundland,  it  is  about  two  or  three  degrees 
of  Reaumer  warmer  than  the  waters  near  the  shore. 

JV,  Another  remarkable  phenomenon  of  the  Ca- 


136  HISTORY    OP   AMERICA.  [cH.  3. 

ribean  Sea,  is  its  transparency,  which  is  so  great, 
that  the  fish  and  coral  may  be  discerned  at  sixty 
fathoms  below  the  surface.  The  ship  seems  to 
float  in  air ;  and  the  spectator  is  often  seized  with 
vertigo,  whilst  he  beholds,  through  the  crystal 
fluid,  submarine  groves,  and  beautiful  shells,  glit 
tering  among  tufts  of  fucus  and  sea-weed. 

V.  Fresh- water  springs  issue  from  the  sea,  on 
both  sides  of  the  channel,  between  Yucatan  and 
Cuba.     The   latter  rise  from  the  bay  of  Xagua, 
about  three  marine  miles  from  the  western  coast  of 
Cuba.     They  rush  with  so  much  violence  out  of 
the  deep,  that  it  is  dangerous  for  small  vessels  to 
approach  them ;  boats  have  been  dashed  to  pieces 
by  the  force  of  the  surge.     Ships  on  the  coast  sail 
thither  sometimes  for  a  supply  of  fresh  water,  which 
the  seamen  draw  from  the  bottom  of  the  ocean. 
The  freshness  of  the  water,  too,  as  may  easily  be 
supposed,  depends  on  the  depth  from  which  it  is 
drawn.     Humboldt  remarks,  that  some  of  the  fish 
in  these  springs  have  never   been  found  in  salt 
water.* 

VI.  There  are  mountains  on  all  the  islands  of  this 
archipelago.     The  highest  are  situated  on  the  west 
of  St.  Domingo,  the  east  of  Cuba,  and  the  north  of 
Jamaica ;  or  on  that  part  of  the  group  where  these 
numerous  islands  approach  nearest  to  each  other. 

From  a  general  survey,  the  direction  of  these 
mountains  seems  to  be  from  northwest  to  southeast ; 
but  after  examining  minutely  the  best  maps  of 
each  island,  it  is  not  difficult  to  discover  in  most  of 
them  a  centre,  from  which  the  rivers  descend  ;  and 
that  the  different  mountains  unite  in  a  nucleus. 
The  volcanoes  that  have  been  observed  at  Guada- 
loupe,  and  some  other  islands,  emanate  from  these 
central  points,  which  are  most  commonly  composed 

*  Tableaux  de  la  Nature,  torn.  11.  p.  235, 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  137 

of  granite  in  the  Less,  and  of  calcareous  rocks  in  the 
Greater  Antilles. 

VII.  The  geology  of  the  West  Indies  is  as  yet  imper 
fectly  known.  It  has  been  ascertained,  that  the 
most  extensive  plains,  on  the  smaller  islands,  are 
situated  towards  the  eastern  coast  ;*'  but  this  re 
mark  is  not  applicable  to  the  Great  Antilles  and 
the  Virgin  Isles.  The  great  number  resemble  each 
other  only  in  their  steep  rocks,  and  in  the  abrupt 
transitions  from  the  mountains  to  the  plains,  which 
are  so  remarkable  in  St.  Domingo,  that  the  French 
settlers  have  made  use  of  a  new  wordf  to  denote 
these  craggy  heights. 

Coral,  or  Madrepore  rocks,  are  very  common  off 
the  different  coasts,  and  it  may  perhaps  be  discov 
ered,  that  this  substance  has  contributed  as  much 
to  the  formation  of  the  Indian  archipelago,  as  to 
any  of  the  islands  in  the  great  ocean.  Cuba  and 
the  Bahamas  are  surrounded  by  labyrinths  of  low 
rocks,  several  of  which  are  covered  with  palm-trees, 
which  tend  to  confirm  the  supposition,  as  they 
have  the  same  appearance  as  some  of  the  coral 
islands  in  the  eastern  ocean. ^ 

VIII.  Most  of  the  West  India  islands,  being  situ 
ated  beneath  the  tropic  of  Cancer,  have  the  same 
circumstances  of  climate,  as  well  in  regard  to  heat 
as  to  periodical  rains,  and  consequent  variation  of 
seasons.  The  temperature  of  the  air  may  vary  with 
the  elevation  of  land,  but,  with  this  exception,  the 
medium  degree  of  heat  is  much  the  same  in  all.  A 
tropical  year  comprehends  but  two  distinct  seasons; 
the  wet  and  the  dry.  But  as  the  rains  constitute 
two  great  periods,  it  may  be  described  like  the 
European  year,  under  four  great  divisions.^ 

*  Leblond,  Voyage  aux  Antilles.  t  Morne. 

J  Malte  Brun  Geog. 

§  For  a  considerable  part  of  the  following  description  of  the 
West  Indies,  I  am  indebted  to  the  history  of  Mr.  Bryan  Edwards. 

M  2 


138  HISTORY    OP   AMERICA.  [cil.  3« 

The  spring  may  be  said  to  commence  with  the 
month  of  May,  when  the  foliage  of  the  trees  be 
comes  more  vivid,  and  the  parched  Savannahs  begin 
to  change  their  russet  hue,  even  previous  to  the 
first  periodical  rains,  which  are  now  daily  expected, 
and  generally  set  in  about  the  middle  of  the  month. 
Compared  with  the  autumnal  rains,  these  are  mere 
showers.  They  come  from  the  south,  and  common 
ly  fall  every  day  about  noon,  and  break  up  with 
thunder  storms ;  creating  a  bright  and  beautiful 
verdure,  and  a  rapid  and  luxuriant  vegetation.  The 
thermometer,  at  this  season,  varies  considerably ; 
usually  falling  six  or  eight  degrees  immediately 
after  the  diurnal  rains ;  its  medium  height  may  be 
stated  at  seventy-five  degrees  of  Fahrenheit. 

After  these  rains  have  continued  about  fourteen 
days,  the  weather  becomes  dry,  settled,  and  salu 
tary  ;  and  the  tropical  summer  reigns  in  full  glory. 
Not  a  cloud  is  to  be  perceived,  and  the  sky  blazes 
with  irresistible  fierceness.  For  some  hours,  com 
monly  between  seven  and  ten  in  the  morning,  the 
heat  is  scarce  supportable  ;  but  no  sooner  is  the 
influence  of  the  sea-breeze  or  trade-wind  felt, 
which,  at  this  season,  blows  from  the  southeast 
with  great  force  and  regularity  until  late  in  the 
evening,  than  all  nature  revives,  and  the  tempera 
ture  in  the  shade  becomes  not  only  tolerable,  but 
pleasant.  The  thermometer  now  varies  but  little 
during  the  whole  twenty-four  hours  ,•  its  medium 
near  the  coast  is  about  eighty  degrees,  being  sel 
dom  observed  at  noon  to  rise  higher  than  eighty- 
five,  or  to  sink  lower  than  seventy-five,  at  sunrise. 
The  nights  at  this  period  are  transcendantly  beau 
tiful.  The  clearness  and  brilliancy  of  the  heavens, 
the  serenity  of  the  air,  and  the  soft  tranquillity  in 
which  all  nature  reposes,  contribute  to  harmonize 
the  mind,  and  produce  the  most  calm  and  delight 
ful  sensations.  The  moon  too  displays  far  greater 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  139 

radiance  than  in  more  northern  climes :  the  small- 
est  print  is  legible  by  her  light — and  her  absence 
is  well  supplied  by  the  brightness  of  the  milky- 
way,  and  the  glorious  planet  Venus.  The  latter 
seems  a  diminutive  moon,  shining  with  such  reful 
gent  ray  as  to  cast  a  shade  from  intervening  ob 
jects,  and  making  full  amends  for  the  short  stay 
and  abrupt  departure  of  the  twilight.  In  the  moun 
tainous  and  interior  parts  of  the  larger  islands,  in 
numerable  fire-flies  of  different  species  abound  at 
night.  Some  of  which  emit  a  light  resembling  a 
spark  of  fire,  from  a  globular  prominence  near 
either  eye,  and  others  from  their  sides  in  the  act  of 
respiration.  They  are  far  more  luminous  than  the 
glow-worm,  and  fill  the  air  on  all  sides,  like  so 
many  living  stars,  to  the  surprize  and  admiration 
of  the  stranger. 

This  delightful  state  of  the  weather  continues 
with  little  variation,  from  the  commencement  of 
June  until  the  middle  of  August,  when  the  diur 
nal  breeze  begins  to  intermit,  arid  the  atmosphere 
becomes  sultry,  incommodious,  and  suffocating. 
During  the  latter  end  of  this  month,  and  the  greater 
part  of  September,  coolness  and  comfort  are  sought 
in  vain.  The  thermometer  occasionally  exceeds 
ninety  degrees,  and  in  place  of  a  steady  and  re 
freshing  breeze,  light  airs  and  calms  alternate. 
These  are  precursors  of  the  second  periodical  or 
autumnal  rains.  Large  towering  clouds,  fleecy, 
and  of  a  reddish  hue,  are  now  seen  in  the  morning, 
in  the  south  and  southwest,  whilst  the  tops  of  the 
mountains  are  free  of  clouds,  and  the  objects  upon 
them  wear  a  blueish  cast,  and  seem  nearer  than 
usual  to  the  spectator.  When  these  accumulated 
vapours  have  arisen  high  in  the  atmosphere,  they 
move  horizontally  towards  the  mountains,  proclaim 
ing  their  progress  in  deep  and  rolling  thunder, 
which  reverberated  from  peak  to  peak,  and  answered 


140  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [ell.    £• 

by  the  distant  roaring  of  the  sea,  heightens  the 
majesty  of  the  scene,  and  irresistibly  lifts  the  mind 
of  the  observer  to  the  great  Author  of  all  sublimity. 

The  waters,  however,  with  which  the  atmosphere 
is  loaded,  seldom  fall  with  great  and  general  force, 
until  the  beginning  of  October.  Then  the  heavens 
pour  down  cataracts.  A  stranger  can  form  no  con 
ception  of  the  quantity  of  rain  which  deluges  the 
earth  at  this  season.  By  an  exact  account  kept  in 
Jamaica,  there  appears  to  have  fallen  in  one  year, 
and  that  not  a  remarkable  one,  sixty-seven  inches. 
Generally,  towards  the  end  of  November,  but  some 
times  not  till  the  middle  of  December,  a  change  in 
the  temperature  of  the  air  is  perceivable.  The 
coasts  to  the  northward  are  beaten  by  a  rough  and 
heavy  sea,  roaring  with  incessant  noise.  The  wind 
varies  from  the  northeast  to  north,  sometimes  driv 
ing  before  it,  across  the  highest  mountains,  not  only 
heavy  rains,  but  hail ;  till  at  length  the  north  wind 
having  acquired  sufficient  force,  the  atmosphere  is 
cleared  ,•  and  then  follows  a  succession  of  serene 
and  pleasant  weather ;  the  northeast  and  northerly 
winds  spreading  coolness  and  delight  throughout 
the  whole  of  this  burning  region.  If  the  interval 
between  the  first  of  December  and  the  end  of  April 
be  called  winter,  it  is  certainly  the  finest  winter  on 
the  globe.  To  valetudinarians,  and  persons  ad 
vanced  in  life,  it  is  the  climate  of  paradise. 

The  foregoing  is  to  be  received  as  a  general  de 
scription  only,  subject  to  many  variations  and  ex 
ceptions.  In  the  larger  islands  of  Cuba,  Hispaniola, 
and  Jamaica,  whose  lofty  mountains  are  clothed 
with  forests,  as  old  perhaps  as  the  deluge,  the  rains 
are  much  more  frequent  and  violent  than  in  the 
small  islands  to  windward ; — some  of  which  are 
without  mountains,  and  others  without  wood,  both 
powerful  agents  on  the  atmosphere.  In  the  inte 
rior  and  elevated  districts  of  the  greater  islands, 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  141 

there  are  showers  in  every  month  in  the  year ;  and 
on  the  northern  coasts  considerable  rains  are  ex 
pected  in  December  and  January,  soon  after  the 
setting  in  of  the  northern  winds. 

IX.  We  have  already  observed  that  the  fierce 
influence  of  the  sun  is  tempered  by  the  sea  and 
land  breezes,  which  alternate  day  and  night.  The 
latter,  however,  is  peculiar  to  the  larger  and  moun 
tainous  islands,  and  proceeds  from  the  great  ine 
quality  of  their  surface ;  for  as  soon  as  the  sea- 
breeze  dies  away,  the  hot  air  of  the  plains  being  rare 
fied,  ascends  towards  the  top  of  the  mountains,  and 
is  there  condensed  by  the  cold,  and  becoming  spe 
cifically  heavier  than  it  was  before,  it  descends  to 
the  plains  on  both  sides  the  ridge.  Hence  a  night 
wind  is  felt  in  all  the  mountainous  countries  under 
the  torrid  zone,  blowing  on  all  sides  from  the  land 
towards  the  shore ;  so  that  on  a  north  shore,  the 
wind  shall  come  from  the  south,  and  on  the  south 
shore,  from  the  north.  Agreeably  to  this  hypothe 
sis,  it  is  observable,  that  in  the  islands  to  wind 
ward,  where  there  are  no  mountains,  there  is  no 
land-breeze ;  and  even  in  Jamaica,  in  the  months 
of  June  and  July,  the  sea-breeze  blows  as  well  by 
night  as  by  day ;  the  land  at  that  time  being  heated 
to  such  a  degree,  that  the  cold  air  of  the  mountains 
is  not  sufficiently  dense  to  check  the  current  which 
flows  from  the  sea. 

The  atmospheric  air,  obedient  to  the  laws  of  at 
traction,  follows  the  sun,  between  the  tropics,  in  an 
invariable  course  from  east  to  west.*  Proceeding 
across  the  ancient  continent,  the  wind  arrives  at  the 
Atlantic  ocean,  heated  by  the  sultry  plains  of  Asia, 
and  the  burning  sands  of  the  African  deserts,  and 
pours  upon  the  western  coast  of  Africa  the  unmiti 
gated  ardour  of  the  torrid  zone.  But  in  traversing 

*  Reflection*  sur  la  pause  general  flea  rente.  D'Alembcrt. 


142  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [oil.  3. 

the  sea,  it  is  cooled  before  it  reaches  the  American 
shores,  and  is  there  felt  as  a  refreshing  gale,  mode 
rating  the  fervour  of  the  sun,  and  dispelling  the 
languor  which  his  untempered  rays  produce.* 

X.  From  the  middle  of  July  to  the  end  of  Octo 
ber,  the  West  Indies,  and  particularly  the  Antilles, 
are  exposed  to  hurricanes.  But  these  dreadful  vis 
itants  are  not  always  annual ;  intervals  of  several 
years  sometimes  occur  between  them.  Still  they 
are  sufficiently  frequent  to  be  objects  of  just  ap 
prehension  to  the  inhabitants,  and  those  who  visit 
them  for  commercial  purposes. 

After  a  long  continuance  of  dry  weather,  and 
usually  after  a  close  day,  during  which  the  air  has 
been  perfectly  calm,  and  so  clear,  that  the  tops  of 
the  highest  mountains  may  be  distinctly  seen — al 
ways  between  sunset  and  sunrise — the  wind  rises 
suddenly,  with  frightful  force,  which  rapidly  in 
creases.  The  rain  soon  follows  in  torrents ;  and 
the  lightning  illumines  the  canopy  from  the  zenith 
to  the  horizon,  with  almost  unbroken  glare,  whilst 
the  thunder  bursts  in  astounding  peals  from  every 
quarter.  The  sea,  which  for  some  days  has  rolled 
upon  the  coast  with  a  high  and  sullen  swell,  emit 
ting  a  strong  and  disagreeable  odour,  now  lashed 
into  irresistible  fury,  roars  in  tremendous  concert  ; 
and  the  waves  alternately  menace  the  sky,  or  plunge 
into  the  bottomless  abyss.  The  Genius  of  desola 
tion  roams  unmanacled,  and  all  nature  bends  before 
him.  The  lofty  palm,  the  firm-rooted  Acajou,  and 
the  wide-spread  fig-tree,  are  torn  from  the  soil,  or 
riven  by  the  red  bolt  of  heaven ;  and  the  humble 
shrub  and  creeping  lienne  are  beaten  down,  and 
blended  with  the  mire.  Every  human  fabric  dreads 
his  presence.  The  slight  and  lowly  cabin  disap 
pears  at  his  approach,  with  little  injury,  perhaps,  to 

*  Robertson's  Am.  237.    1  Edw.  West  Ind, 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  143 

its  terrified  tenant  ;  whilst  the  stronger  edifice, 
which  by  any  crevice  admits  his  entrance,  is  toppled 
on  the  heads  of  the  occupants,  and  frequently  wrap- 
ped  in  dreadful  conflagration. 

Still  the  fury  of  the  wind  increases — sometimes 
shifting  from  quarter  to  quarter  ;  at  others,  blowing 
with  equal  violence  from  every  point  of  the  com 
pass,  until  the  deep  and  ponderous  earth  awakens 
to  the  strife,  and  rocking  to  the  blast,  adds  new  and 
indescribable  horrors  to  the  scene.  Then  the  fee 
ble  protection  of  walls  and  roofs  is  abandoned,  and 
the  affrighted  inmates  rush  to  the  most  naked  spot 
of  the  adjacent  fields,  as  the  place  of  the  greatest 
safety.  A  desperate  refuge  !  The  mountains  have 
poured  down  their  cataracts — the  rivers  have  over 
leaped  or  broken  their  banks,  and  universal  inun 
dation  covers  the  plains.  After  five  or  six  hours, 
each  of  which  seems  an  age,  the  fury  of  the  ele 
ments  abates,  a  comparative  calm,  though  yet  a 
storm,  succeeds,  which  permits  the  proprietor  to 
raise  his  head  to  survey  his  manifold  losses — his 
fields  and  gardens  submerged  and  devastated — his 
habitation  prostrate,  and  every  object  he  lately  de 
lighted  to  view,  involved  in  mingled  ruin.  In  a 
few  hours  more,  the  thick  veil  is  withdrawn  from 
the  heavens — the  sun  shines  with  a  new  and  soft 
ened  splendour,  the  air  is  balmy  and  invigorating 
— but  the  effects  of  the  tempest  remain,  which  re 
quire  years  of  industry  to  efface. 

The  immediate  cause  of  these  dreadful  scourges 
is  not  fully  understood,  or  at  least  is  not  universally 
acknowledged.  Electricity  is  supposed  to  be  a 
powerful  agent  in  their  creation.  But  the  motion 
of  the  earth,  and  variation  of  temperature  in  the 
atmosphere,  the  source  of  other  winds,  seem  suffi 
cient  for  the  production  of  these.  Nature,  we  must 
presume,  does  nothing  in  vain,  and  though  we  are 
unable  to  trace  any  immediate  beneficial  results 


144  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [cH.  3, 

from  the  irregular  and  terrific  visits  of  the  hurri 
cane,  we  cannot  doubt  that  they  are  indispensable 
and  beneficial  in  the  economy  of  Providence. 

XI.  We  have  seen  that  the  West  India  Islands 
were   divided  between   two  races  of  inhabitants, 
strikingly  distinguished,  both  in  their  physical  and 
moral  character.     The  one,  fierce  and  warlike,  re 
markable  for  courage  and  cruelty,  fortitude,  and 
enterprize,  occupied  the    windward  islands,   and 
were  known  and  dreaded  under  the  name  of  Caribs, 
or  Charaibes,  which,  in  their  language,  was  synony 
mous  with  war  and  violence.     The  other,  which 
dwelt  in  Haiti,  Cuba,  Jamaica,  Porto  Rico,  Baha 
ma,  and  adjacent  islands,  as  remarkable  for  their 
mild  and  pacific  disposition  and  comparative  culti 
vation,  were  called  Arrowauks.     The  great  differ 
ence  in  the  language  and  character  of  these  two 
people,  is  conclusive  as  to  the  difference  of  their 
origin ;  but,  whence   each  race  was  derived,  is  a 
question  of  difficult  solution.* 

XII.  1.  Historians  have  generally  concurred  in 
supposing,    that    the    insular   Caribs   were    origi 
nally  a  nation  of  Florida;  and  that  having  been 
thence  expelled  by  their  enemies,  they  seized  on 
the  windward   islands,    exterminated  the   ancient 
male  inhabitants,  and  appropriated  the  women  to 
themselves  :  that  the  larger  islands,  which  they  also 
assailed,  were  preserved  from  a  similar  fate  by  their 
great  extent  and  population  ;  but  that  the  constant 
attacks  of  the  restless  Carib  produced  and  perpetu 
ated  the  inveterate  enmity  which  the  races  bore  to 
each  other.f  But  there  is  sufficient  cause  to  doubt 
the  correctness  of  this  derivation,  since  no  trace 
of  the   progress  of  the  Caribs  from  the  northern 
continent  has  been  found  in  the  islands,  near  the 

*  Roohefort.  Hist,  of  the  Caribbee  Islands,  lib.  2.  ch.  11. 
t  Ibid.  P.  Labat's  nouveau  Voyages  aux  lies  de  I'Amerique, 
torn.  4.  ch.  15.    Edward's  West  Ind.  vol.  1. 


en.  3.]  SPAMSH  DISCOVERIES.  145 

Florida  shore ;  the  natives  of  the  Bahamas,  when 
discovered  by  Columbus,  being  evidently  a  similar 
people  to  those  of  Hispaniola.  Besides,  it  is  suf 
ficiently  known,  that  there  existed,  anciently^ 
powerful  tribes  of  Caribs  on  the  southern  penin 
sula,  extending  from  the  Oronoko  to  Essequebo, 
and  throughout  the  whole  province  of  Surinam, 
even  to  Brazil ;  some  of  which  still  maintain  their 
independence.  With  one  of  these  tribes  Sir  Wal 
ter  Raleigh  formed  an  alliance,  during  his  roman 
tic  expedition  to  the  coast  of  Guiana,  in  1595  ;  and 
by  him  we  are  assured,  that  the  Caribs  of  that 
country  spoke  the  language  of  Dominica.*|  To  this 
we  must  add,  that  the  traditions  of  the  insular 
Caribs  constantly  refer  to  Guiana  as  the  place 
of  their  origin,  and  to  a  tribe  called,  by  Dr.  Robert 
son  and  other  writers,  Galibis,  an  obvious  corrup 
tion  of  Caribis,  as  their  parent  stock. J 

Another  opinion  relative  to  the  origin  of  the 
Carib  race,  has  been  promulgated  by  authority 
so  respectable,  that  we  feel  bound  to  notice  it.  "I 
conceive,"  says  Mr.  Edwards,  "  the  Charaibes  to 
have  been  a  distinct  race,  widely  differing  from  all 
the  nations  of  the  new  hemisphere  ;  and  I  am  even 
inclined  to  adopt  the  opinion  of  Hornius,§  and 
other  writers,  who  ascribe  to  them  an  oriental  an 
cestry,  from  across  the  Atlantic."  In  support  of 
this  hypothesis,  the  author  relies  upon  the  dissimi 
larity  of  the  Caribs  to  the  other  American  races, 
their  physical  correspondence,  and  the  identity  of 
portions  of  their  language,  and  many  of  their  cus- 

*  Hackluyt.  Rochefort,  ib.  1  Robertson's  Am.  n.  94.  Du  Ter- 
tre,  vol.  2.  p.  360.  Lafitau,  vol.  1.  p.  297. 

t  Boturini  conjectures  that  the  Olmecas,  an  anrient  tribe  of  Mex 
ico,  when  driven  from  their  country  by  the  Tlascalans,  sought 
refuse  in  the  Caribbee  Islands  and  in  South  America.  1  Clavig. 
Mex.  lib.  2. 

I  Rochefort,  lib.  2.  ch.  7. 

$  De  Origimbus  American-is.  lib.  2.  ch.  6. 

VOL.  II.  N 


146  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  fcH.  3, 

lorns,  with  those  of  Asiatic  nations.  Confiding  in 
the  well  established  historical  fact,  that  the  naviga 
tion  of  the  Atlantic  ocean  along  the  coast  of  Afri 
ca,  even  at  a  considerable  distance  from  the  land, 
was  well  understood,  and  prevailed  in  very  remote 
ages,  he  deems  that,  from  the  nature  of  the  winds 
and  currents  on  that  coast,  and  the  casualties  to 
which  ships  at  sea  are  liable,  even  in  the  most  fa 
vourable  season  of  the  year,  **  that  it  not  only  prob 
ably  happened,  but  even  that  it  was  scarce  possi 
ble  not  to  happen,  that  vessels  would  be  driven  by 
sudden  gusts,  or  carried  by  adverse  currents,  with 
in  the  verge  of  the  trade-winds ;  in  which  case,  if 
they  chanced  to  lose  their  masts,  they  must  neces 
sarily  run  before  the  wind  towards  Brazil  or  the 
West  Indies."* 

To  this  opinion  the  arguments  and  assertions  of 
Dr.  Robertson  are  directly  opposed.  That  eminent 
writer  contends  as  for  "  a  certain  principle,  that 
America  was  not  peopled  by  any  nation  of  the  an 
cient  continent  which  had  made  considerable  pro 
gress  in  civilization,"  since  "  even  the  most  culti 
vated  nations  of  America  were  strangers  to  many 
of  those  simple  inventions,  which  were  almost  co 
eval  with  society  in  other  parts  of  the  world,  and 
were  known  in  the  earliest  period  of  civil  life  with 
which  we  have  any  acquaintance."  And  "  al 
though,"  he  continues,  "  the  elegant  and  refined 
arts  may  decline  or  perish,  amidst  the  violent  shocks 
of  those  revolutions  and  disasters  to  which  nations 
are  exposed,  the  necessary  arts  of  life,  when  once 
they  have  been  introduced  among  any  people,  are 
never  lost."j~  Against  these  arguments  Mr.  Ed 
wards,  prudently  perhaps,  has  not  combated  ;  but 
he  has  fully  overthrown  the  inference  of  the  Ame 
rican  historian,  that  the  western  world  could  not 

*  1  Edvv.  West  Ijul.  30.  111.  t  1  Robert.  Am.  lib.  4. 


CIl.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  147 

have  received  inhabitants  from  the  ancient  conti 
nent,  by  ships  accidentally  driven  from  their  course. 
"  Such  events,"  says  the  latter,  "  are  barely  possi 
ble,  and  may  have  happened.  That  they  ever  did 
happen  we  have  no  evidence,  either  from  the  clear 
testimony  of  history,  or  from  the  obscure  intima 
tions  of  tradition."* 

That  such  events  might  have  happened  in  remote 
ages,  cannot  now  be  questioned,  since  we  have  the 
most  satisfactory  evidence  that  they  have  happened 
in  modern  times.  We  are  told  by  Peter  Martyr, 
that,  at  a  place  called  Quarequa,  in  the  gulf  of  Da- 
rien,  BaSco  Nunez  met  with  a  colony  of  negroes, 
which,  from  the  smallness  of  its  numbers,  was  sup 
posed  not  to  have  been  long  on  the  coast.  Doubt 
less  some  accidental  cause  had  conducted  them 
thither  from  Africa,  and  in  open  canoes,  of  no  bet 
ter  construction  than  those  of  the  American  In 
dians."]"^:  An  instance,  still  more  recent,  is  related 
by  Captain  Glass,  in  his  history  of  the  Canary 
Islands,  of  a  small  bark  bound  from  Lancerota  to 
Teneriffe,  which  was  forced  from  her  course,  and 
obliged  to  run  before  the  wind  until  she  came  with 
in  two  days'  sail  of  Caracas  :  where  she  fortunately 
met  with  an  English  cruizer,  which  relieved  her 
distress,  and  directed  her  to  the  port  of  Laguira. 
Another  case  is  told  by  Gumilla  as  follows :  "  In 
December,  1731,  while  I  was  at  the  town  of  St.  Jo 
seph  in  Trinidad,  a  small  vessel  belonging  to  Tene- 
riffe,  with  six  seamen,  was  driven  into  that  island 
by  stress  of  weather.  She  was  laden  with  wino, 
and  being  bound  to  one  other  of  the  Canary  Islands, 
had  provisions  for  a  few  days  only,  which,  with 

*  1  Robert.  Am.  lib.  4. 

t  P.  Martyr,  Dec.  iiL  c.  1.     Edw.  W- 1.  vol.  1.  p.  118. 

\  We  fear  that  the  fact  of  the  existence  of  this  neero  colony,  is 
too  feebly  sustained  to  have  much  force  in  the  argument.  But 
one  well-authenticated  instance  of  a  vessel  being  driven  from  the 
African  to  the  American  coast  is  sufficient. 


149  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [dl.  3. 

their  utmost  care,  had  been  expended  a  considera 
ble  time,  so  that  the  crew  lived  entirely  on  wine. 
They  were  reduced  to  the  last  extremity,  and  ex 
pected  death  every  moment,  when  they  discovered 
Trinidad,  and  soon  after  came  to  an  anchor  in  that 
island,  to  the  great  astonishment  of  the  inhabitants, 
who  ran  in  crowds  to  behold  the  poor  seamen, 
whose  emaciated  appearance  would  have  sufficient 
ly  confirmed  the  truth  of  their  relation,  even  if  the 
papers  and  documents  which  they  produced  had 
not  put  the  matter  beyond  all  possible  doubt."* 

To  these  cases  we  may  add  the  accidental  dis 
covery  of  Brazil  by  Cabral ;  in  remarking  dh  which, 
Dr.  Robertson  observes,  "  that  chance  might  have 
accomplished  that  great  design,  (the  discovery  of 
America)  which  it  is  now  the  pride  of  human  rea 
son  to  have  formed  and  perfected.  If  the  sagacity 
of  Columbus  had  not  conducted  mankind  to  Ame 
rica,  Cabral,  by  a  fortunate  accident,  might  have 
led  them,  a  few  years  later,  to  the  knowledge  of 
that  extensive  continent.""]"  In  truth,  such  acci 
dents  are  common  in  all  parts  of  the  world.  The 
inhabitants  of  Java  report  their  origin  to  have  been 
from  China;  the  tradition  among  them  being,  that, 
about  nine  hundred  years  ago,  their  progenitors 
were  driven  by  a  tempest  upon  that  island,  in  a 
Chinese  junk.  And  we  owe  the  European  discov 
ery  of  Japan  to  three  Portuguese  exiles,  who  were 
shipwrecked  there  in  15424 

But,  it  must  be  confessed,  that  the  means  of 
tracing  the  relations  between  the  Caribs  of  'the 
islands  and  the  natives  of  the  eastern  continent,  if 
such  relations  existed,  are  inconsiderable  and  uncer 
tain.  Their  destroyers,  if  capable  of  making  the  in 
vestigation,  scarce  left  themselves  time  for  the  pur- 

*  Edw.  West  Indies,  vol.  1.  p.  117. 
t  1  Hist,  of  America,  vol.  1.  p.  140. 
J  Edw.  W.I.  vol.  1.  p.  118. 


CH.3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  149 

pose,  so  rapidly  did  they  complete  their  work  of  anni 
hilation.  Nor  are  we  now  competent  to  judge  coi- 
rectly  of  the  character  of  this  people.  Hunted  by  the 
Spaniards,  like  beasts  of  prey,  from  island  to  island, 
few  opportunities  were  afforded  of  investigating 
their  history,  before  their  entire  subjugation.  And 
since  that  event,  it  would  be  vain  and  unjust  to  de 
cide  upon  their  original  characteristics.  For  is  it 
possible  to  judge  truly  of  the  genius  of  a  people 
oppressed  by  perpetual  fear,  whose  bodies  are  fet 
tered,  and  whose  minds  are  subjected  to  the  abso 
lute  authority  of  their  masters?  The  change  which 
these  circumstances  wrought  in  their  character  be 
came  obvious  to  themselves.  "  Our  people,"  said 
an  ancient  Indian  to  a  planter,  "  are  become  almost 
as  bad  as  yours.  We  are  so  much  altered  since 
you  came  among  us,  that  we  hardly  know  our 
selves  ;  and  we  think  it  is  owing  to  so  melancholy 
a  change,  that  hurricanes  are  more  frequent  than 
formerly.  It  is  some  evil  spirit  that  has  done  this 
— who  has  taken  our  best  lands  from  us,  and  given 
us  up  to  the  dominion  of  the  Christians."* 

2.  The  Caribs,  as  we  have  already  remarked, 
were  fierce  and  warlike ;  and  these  qualities,  which 
were  conspicuously  displayed  at  their  first  encoun 
ter  with  the  Spaniards,  on  the  second  voyage  of 
Columbus,  had,  with  their  horrible  cannibal  pro 
pensities,  rendered  them  the  dread  of  the  other  In 
dian  race.f  The  execrable  practice  of  eating  the 
flesh  of  their  enemies  taken  in  battle,  prevailed 
among  several  nations  of  America.  With  some,  as 
the  tribes  of  Louisiana  and  other  countries  of 
North  America,  it  was  the  rare  consequence  of  ex 
travagant  revenge  ;  with  others,  as  in  Mexico,  it 
was  a  general  and  religious  custom — the  captive 
was  immolated  in  the  temple,  his  head  and  heart 

*  Rochefort.  lib.  ii.  ch.  ix.  t  See  page  147.  vol.  1. 

N  2 


150  HISTORY    OF   AMERICA,  [cH.  3. 

devoted  to  the  Gods,  and  his  body  borne  off  to 
feast  the  conqueror  and  his  friends.  These  in 
stances  are  ascribable  to  a  perverted  moral  sense ; 
but  the  appetite  of  the  Carib  was  wholly  carnal. 
It  cannot  be  urged  in  his  defence,  that  he  was 
moved  by  a  desire  of  vengeance,  or  by  mistaken 
piety ; — for  he  not  only  ate  the  bodies  of  his  pris 
oners  casually  taken  in  war,  but  like  the  beasts  of 
the  forests,  he  considered  the  human  race  as  his 
natural  prey,  and  made  war  that  he  might  thereby 
procure  this  abominable  food.  The  victim  was 
regularly  fatted,  and  duly  prepared  for  slaughter, 
and  the  carcase  was  providently  stored  for  future 
use.  This  depraved  and  horrid  appetite  was  com 
mon  to  the  Caribs  of  the  islands  and  of  the  con 
tinent,  and  still  prevails  among  the  latter.*  Yet 
an  appetite  so  ferocious  was  controlled  and  bounded 
by  sexual  feeling.  The  women  whom  they  cap 
tured  were  never  slain  nor  eaten,  but  were  pre 
served  as  slaves,  or  for  the  gratification  of  desires 
more  natural  and  excusable.f 

Among  themselves  the  Caribs  were  peaceable, 
and  towards  each  other  faithful,  friendly,  and  af 
fectionate.  And  though  their  enmity  against  the 
Arrowauks  was  inveterate  and  invincible,  yet  when 
they  gave  their  confidence  to  the  Europeans,  it  was 
without  reserve.  Like  other  savage  nations,  long 
accustomed  to  unqualified  freedom,  they  had  a  high 
sense  of  independence,  and  an  utter  abhorrence 
not  only  of  slavery,  but  of  that  deferential  respect 
which  the  natives  of  civilized  countries  are  accus 
tomed  to  pay  to  their  superiors.  Hence,  when  torn 
from  their  native  islands,  and  carried  into  slavery, 
as  they  frequently  were,  they  either  pined  to  death, 
or  sought  refuge  in  suicide  from  the  calamities  of 

*  Bancroft's  History  of  Guiana,  p.  259.   Edw.  W.  f.  vol.  1.  33. 
Humboldt's  Voyage, 
f  Roehefort. 


CB.  S.]  SPANISH  DISCOVERIES,  151 

their  condition.  Such  was  their  sensibility,  that  it 
became  proverbial  among  the  first  French  settlers, 
"Regarder  de  travers  un  Carib  Jest  le  battre  et 
que  de  le  battre  Jest  le  tuer  ou  s'exposer  a  en  etre 
tue."  "  To  look  askance  upon  a  Carib  was  to 
beat  him  ;  and  to  beat  him,  was  to  kill  him,  or  ex 
pose  oneself  to  be  killed."*  Robertson,  after  Du 
Tertre,  very  properly  considers  this  sensitiveness 
as  common  to  all  the  American  savages.  (It  was 
different  with  the  half-civilized  Mexicans,  Peruvi 
ans,  and  other  nations  reduced  under  political  gov 
ernment.)  And  he  reports  the  following  saying 
among  the  French  islands,  which  discriminates  be 
tween  the  character  of  the  American  and  the  Af 
rican.  "  To  avert  your  regards  from  a  savage  is  to 
beat  him ;  to  beat  him  is  to  kill  him.  But  to  beat 
a  negro  is  to  nourish  him."f  The  Caribs  scorn 
ed,  or  were  unable  to  appreciate  the  inventions  of 
civilized  life;  and  unlike  the  natives  of  Haiti,  who 
were  highly  delighted  with  European  toys,  they  re 
garded  the  arts  and  manufactures,  (fire-arms  ex- 
cepted,  the  value  of  which  they  had  dearly  learned) 
as  the  amusements  and  baubles  of  children;  hence 
the  propensity  of  theft,  common  among  other  sav 
ages,  was  unknown  to  them.:}: 

Constantly  disposed  to  war,  and  frequently  en 
gaged  in  its  exercises,  the  Carib  was  restless 
and  melancholy  ;  and  having  his  mind  filled  with 
the  love  of  military  glory,  notwithstanding  the  in 
centives  of  climate,  and  abundance  of  food,  he  was 
cold  and  insensible  to  sexual  impulses.  The  power 
of  love  is  known  to  be  feeble  among  many  savage 
nations;  and  it  has  been  erroneously  assumed  to 
have  been  universally  so  among  the  American 
tribes.  But  here,  as  in  other  countries,  this  passion 
depended  upon  the  circumstances  of  climate,  ease, 

*  Labat.  torn.  2.  p.  74.  t  Robert.  Am.  vol.  1.  note  63. 

I  Labat.  torn.  iv.  p.  329.    Rochefort.    1  Edw.  W.  I.  p.  35. 


152  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [CH.  3. 

and  food,  and  consequently  varied  from  gross  indul 
gence  to  extreme  abstinence,  from  the  fervour  of  a 
tropical  sun  to  the  torpor  of  a  Canadian  frost.  The 
Caribs,  however,  supply  us  with  an  instance  of 
the  controlling  force  of  moral  over  physical  causes, 
and  of  the  capacity  of  one  powerful  passion,  like 
the  rod  of  Aaron,  to  swallow  all  others — for  in  their 
passion  for  war,  all  their  energies  appear  to  have 
been  concentrated.* 

3.  The  prevailing  bias  of  their  minds  was  dis 
tinguishable  even  in  their  persons.  Though  not  so 
tall  as  the  generality  of  Europeans,  their  frames 
were  robust  and  muscular ;  their  limbs  flexible  and 
active,  and  there  was  a  penetrating  quickness  and 
wildness  in  their  eyes  that  seemed  an  emanation 
from  a  fierce  and  martial  spirit.  To  increase  the 
terror  caused  by  their  appearance,  they  resorted  to 
the  assistance  of  art.  They  painted  their  faces  and 
bodies  with  arnotto,  so  that  their  natural  colour, 
which  was  that  of  a  Spanish  olive,  was  not  easily 
distinguished.  They  disfigured  their  cheeks  with 
deep  incisions  and  hideous  scars,  which  they  stain 
ed  with  black,  and  they  painted  white  and  black 
circles  round  their  eyes.  The  custom  of  boring 
the  ears  was  common  among  them,  but  some  also 
made  holes  in  the  cartilage  which  separated  the 
nostrils,  and  others  in  the  lips,  in  which  they  in 
serted  the  bone  of  a  fish,  a  parrot's  feather,  or  a 
fragment  of  tortoise-shell ;  and  they  wore  bracelets 
and  anklets  of  shells,  though  some  made  these  or 
naments  of  the  teeth  of  their  enemies,  and  hung 
about  their  neck  whistles,  formed  of  human  bones, 
and  collars  of  the  teeth  of  the  Agouti ;  upon  gala 
occasions,  they  wore  coronets  and  girdles  of  feathers. 
The  decorations  of  the  women  differed  little  from 
those  of  the  men,  except  that  the  former  never  wore 

*  Rochefort,  lib.  2.  ch.  xi. 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  153 

the  crown  of  feathers.  The  coat  of  arnotto  mixed 
with  oil,  was  used  by  both  sexes,  and  was  there 
fore  probably  a  defence  against  the  heat  of  the  sun, 
and  the  noxious  insects  of  the  climate.* 

4.  To  use  the  bow  and  the  war-club  with  force 
and  dexterity,  to  swim  with  fearless  agility,  to 
catch  fish,  and  build  a  cottage,  were  the  necessary 
and  ordinary  acquirements  of  the  race,  of  which 
the  women  partook  in  no  inconsiderable  degree. 
One  method  of  giving  skill  to  the  boys  in  the  ex 
ercise  of  the  bow,  was  to  suspend  their  food  from 
a  branch  of  a  tree,  and  to  compel  them  to  pierce  it 
with  their  arrows,  before  they  were  permitted  to 
satisfy  their  hunger.  But  to  make  them  approved 
warriors,  they  were  also  taught  courage  in  action, 
and  patience  in  suffering,  contempt  of  danger  and 
of  death,  and  above  all  things  implacable  hatred 
of  the  Arrowauks.  To  this  end,  as  soon  as  a  male 
child  was  born,  he  was  sprinkled  with  blood  drawn 
from  the  shoulders  of  his  father,  which  were  lacer 
ated  for  this  purpose  with  the  tooth  of  the  Agouti  ; 
the  parent  cheerfully  submitting  to  the  operation, 
in  confidence  that  the  fortitude  he  displayed  would 
be  transmitted  to  his  son.  As  the  boy  grew,  he 
was  familiarized  with  scenes  of  barbarity ;  he  par 
took  of  the  horrid  repasts  of  his  nation,  and  was 
frequently  anointed  with  the  fat  of  a  slaughtered 
Arrowauk.  But  he  was  not  allowed  to  participate 
in  the  toils  of  the  warrior,  and  to  share  the  glories 
of  conquest,  until  his  courage  and  fortitude  had 
been  proved  by  severe  tests.  At  the  dawn  of  man 
hood,  he  publicly,  and  with  great  ceremony,  changed 
the  name  he  received  in  infancy,  for  one  of  greater 
significance. t 

Upon  these  occasions,  the  relatives  and  friends 
of  the  candidate  for  the  honours  of  manhood,  were 

*  Rochefort.  lib.  2.  ch.  ix.  t  Rochefort.  lib.  2.  ch.  xxv. 


154  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [<'JI.  3. 

assembled  in  the  hut  of  the  father,  or  in  the  coun 
cil-house  of  his  tribe.  There,  seated  in  the  midst, 
upon  a  low  stool,  he  listened  to  a  charge  upon  the 
duties  he  was  about  to  assume,  and  solemnly  en 
gaged  never  to  derogate  from  the  glory  of  his  an 
cestors,  nor  to  cease  to  prosecute  the  vengeance  of 
his  nation  against  her  enemies.  After  which,  the 
father,  with  a  certain  bird  of  prey,  which  had  been 
long  prepared  for  the  purpose,  beat  the  son  over 
the  head  and  body  until  the  bird  was  killed  and 
crushed  to  pieces.  The  body  of  the  youth  was 
then  scarified  in  many  places  with  a  tooth  of  the 
Agouti,  and  the  wounds  were  rubbed  with  a  decoc 
tion  of  pimento,  in  which  the  dead  bird  had  been 
steeped.  He  was  required  to  bear  the  excessive 
agony  which  this  produced  without  exhibiting  a 
sense  of  pain,  under  penalty  of  eternal  disgrace. 
He  was  then  made  to  eat  of  the  heart  of  the  bird, 
after  which  he  was  placed  in  a  hammock,  to  under 
go  a  fast  which  brought  him  almost  to  the  grave. 
If  he  bore  these  trials  with  unyielding  firmness, 
and  they  were  always  so  borne,  he  was  endowed 
with  the  privileges  of  a  warrior,  and  pronounced  by 
his  countrymen  to  be  a  man  like  themselves.* 

5.  Every  distinction  among  this  rude  people  was 
attained  by  a  series  of  intense  suffering.  The  child 
destined  for  a  Boyez,  that  is,  a  magician  or  physi 
cian,  was  initiated  into  the  mysteries  of  his  profes 
sion,  from  infancy,  by  abstinence  from  several  kinds 
of  meats,  by  rigorous  fasts,  and  severe  lacerations' 
of  the  body,  after  the  manner  of  those  who  became 
warriors. f  And  he  who  would  lead  in  war,  en 
dured  torments  still  more  excruciating.  The  as 
pirant  to  this  high  honour,  declared  his  design  by 

*  Rochefort,  lib.  11.  ch.  19.  Purchas,  vol.  4.  p.  1262.  Gumilla, 
torn.  2.  p.  286.  Lafitau,  torn.  1.  p.  297.  Edward's  W.  I.  vol.  1. 
book  1.  ch.  2. 

t  Roohefort,  lib.  II.  ch.  23. 


CII.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  155 

binding  his  shield  upon  his  head,  and  entering-  his 
cabin,  with  downcast  eyes,  and  in  profound  silence. 
He  placed  himself  in  one  corner,  and  a  partition 
was  constructed  around  him,  leaving  a  space  so 
small  as  scarce  to  allow  him  room  to  move,  and  his 
hammock  was  suspended  close  to  the  roof,  that  he 
might  not  speak  to  any  one.  From  this  prison  he 
never  departed,  except  for  necessary  occasions,  and 
to  undergo  the  rude  trials  imposed  by  those  who 
had  already  passed  the  same  ordeal. 

He  now  commences  a  rigorous  fast,  which  he 
must  endure  for  six  weeks.  Life  is  barely  sustain 
ed  by  a  small  quantity  of  boiled  corn  and  cassava 
bread.  Of  the  latter,  he  eats  only  the  middle ;  the 
corners  are  reserved,  under  the  supposition  that 
they  possess  great  virtues,  for  the  feast  which  con 
cludes  the  initiation.  During  this  period,  the  can 
didate  is  visited  morning  and  evening  by  the  neigh 
bouring  chiefs,  who  represent  to  him,  with  their 
natural  eloquence,  that  if  he  would  attain  the  dig 
nity  to  which  he  aspires,  he  must  be  courageous, 
and  bear  himself  gallantly  in  all  encounters  with 
his  enemies,  and  must  shrink  from  no  danger  which 
may  be  incurred  in  supporting  the  honour  of  his 
nation,  or  in  avenging  the  injuries  which  may  be 
offered  to  it. 

When  the  harangue  is  finished,  he  is  made  to  feel 
in  advance  the  sufferings  which  may  be  inflicted  on 
him,  should  he  be  taken  captive  in  war — to  avoid  a 
repetition  of  which,  it  may  be  well  supposed,  he 
would  seek  death  in  the  field  of  battle.  Having 
placed  himself  upright  in  the  centre  of  the  council- 
house,  he  receives  from  each  captain  three  blows  of 
a  scourge  made  of  the  twisted  roots  of  the  palm,  in 
the  fabrication  of  which  the  young  men  are  em 
ployed  during  the  time  of  the  ceremony.  Many  of 
these  whips  are  requisite,  each  operator  having  one, 
with  which  three  blows  only,  one  across  the  chest, 


156  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  fcH.  3. 

the  second  upon  the  abdomen,  and  the  third  over 
the  thighs,  are  given.  But  this  discipline  is  ad 
ministered  twice,  daily,  during  the  probation ;  and  al 
most  every  blow,  given  by  nervous  and  willing  arms, 
with  these  pliant  scourges,  draws  blood  from  the 
sufferer  ;  who,  with  invincible  fortitude,  suppresses 
every  sign  of  pain.  After  each  flagellation,  he  re 
tires  to  his  cabin,  buries  himself  in  his  hammock, 
and  is  solaced  by  viewing  the  instruments  of  his 
torture  piled  above  his  head,  as  trophies  of  his  con 
stancy. 

The  six  weeks  of  this  first  trial  having  passed, 
another  is  prepared  for  him  yet  more  severe.  An 
entertainment  is  made,  for  which  an  abundance  of 
intoxicating  drink  is  provided,  and  all  the  chief 
tains  of  the  country  attend,  painted  and  decorated 
in  their  richest  manner,  and  surrounded  by  respec 
tive  trains  of  friends  and  relatives.  As  they  ap 
proach  the  cabin,  they  send  forth  from  the  groves 
and  thickets  horrible  cries  and  shouts,  and  then 
rush  upon  the  dwelling,  with  bended  bows  and  ar 
rows  on  the  string,  giving  a  lively  representation 
of  a  warlike  assault.  They  seize  the  candidate, 
exhausted  by  his  long  fast  and  intense  suffering, 
and  bear  him  into  the  open  air  in  his  bed,  which 
they  suspend  from  some  neighbouring  trees.  He 
is  then  placed  upon  the  ground,  and  after  being 
encouraged,  by  another  discourse  on  the  importance 
of  the  station  he  covets,  he  receives  from  each 
chief  a  violent  blow  with  the  scourge.  After  which, 
having  resumed  his  hammock,  a  fire  of  venomous 
and  stinking  herbs  is  kindled  beneath  him,  to  the 
heat  and  smoke  of  which  he  is  exposed,  until  his 
senses  are  overpowered,  and  his  intolerable  suffer 
ings  are  momentarily  relieved  by  a  swoon.  But 
the  refuge  of  insensibility  is  not  long  allowed  him. 
Stimulants  are  applied  to  reanimate  him,  he  is  ex- 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVEKIES.  157 

horted  to  perseverance,  and  the  fire  is  renewed  and 
kept  up  for  a  considerable  length  of  time. 

Whilst  the  miserable  wretch  undergoes  these 
torments,  his  persecutors  indulge  in  the  wildest 
debauch  of  eating  and  drinking.  At  length,  per 
ceiving  their  patient  about  to  fall  into  a  second 
syncope,  in  order  to  restore  him,  they  put  on  him  a 
collar  and  girdle  of  palm  leaves,  filled  with  large 
black  ants,  whose  slightest  prick  gives  hours  of  an 
guish.  Roused  by  this  new  agony,  he  springs  from 
his  bed,  and  is  almost  suffocated  by  an  effusion  of 
palinot,  a  beverage  of  the  country,  which  is  poured 
upon  his  head  through  sieves  employed  for  this  pur 
pose.  His  trial  is  now  over.  He  is  conducted  to 
the  nearest  fountain  or  stream,  and,  after  thorough 
ablution,  is  restored  to  the  secluded  apartment  of 
his  cabin.  His  fast  is  continued  for  some  time 
longer,  but  is  moderated.  He  is  supplied  from 
time  to  time  with  small  birds,  killed  by  some  one 
of  his  fellow-captains  ;  and  his  present  abstinence 
seems  rather  designed  to  provide  against  the  dan 
gers  of  repletion,  than  to  continue  his  noviciate. 
At  length  he  is  proclaimed  captain,  is  furnished 
with  new  weapons,  and  every  thing  necessary  to 
his  condition,  and  the  accession  to  this  high  hon 
our  is  celebrated  by  an  appropriate  festival.* 

6.  The  severity  of  these  ceremonies  was  surpass 
ed  among  the  Caribs  of  Guiana,  whose  govern 
ment  was  monarchical,  on  the  choice  of  a  king,  who 
governed  them  with  absolute  authority.  Ordinarily, 
the  most  ancient  of  the  nation  is  selected  for  this 
high  office,  if  he  possess  the  qualities  necessary  to 
sustain  its  dignity ;  that  is,  if  he  have  valour, 
strength,  and  address ;  if  he  be  sober,  patient, 
fruitful  in  resources  and  stratagems,  and  acquaint- 

*  The  foregoing  account  of  the  initiation  of  a  captain,  is  taken 
from  Lafitau,  vol.  1.  p.  297,  who  has  adopted  it  from  the  voyage  of 
Le  Sieur  Diet  to  Cayenne,  in  J652.  Liv.  3.  ch.  10.  p.  376. 

VOL.  II.  O 


158  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [cH.  3. 

ed  with  the  country,  and  the  roads  which  lead  to 
the  surrounding  nations.  His  sufficiency  in  these 
virtues  is  submitted  to  a  rude  probation,  which  is 
commenced  by  a  fast  that  is  to  continue  for  nine 
months,  during  which  he  is  allowed  to  eat  a  hand 
ful  of  grain  only  each  day.  He  is  made  to  bear 
enormous  burdens ;  to  keep  a  strict  and  nightly 
watch  at  the  door  of  the  council-house;  to  traverse 
the  country  in  all  directions,  until  its  boundaries, 
its  springs  and  streams,  and  all  its  productions,  are 
familiar  to  him.  To  accustom  him  to  pain,  he  is 
sometimes  buried  for  hours  to  the  waist  in  an  ant 
hill,  filled  with  those  large  ants  of  which  we  have 
already  spoken ;  and  at  other  times,  he  is  clothed 
with  coronet,  collar,  girdle,  bracelets,  garters,  and 
anklets,  of  leaves,  in  which  hundreds  of  these  in 
sects  are  so  placed,  as  to  permit  them  to  exercise 
their  fiercest  power  on  the  sufferer. 

When  he  is  deemed  to  have  been  sufficiently 
tried,  the  whole  nation  proceeds  to  seek  him,  in 
some  retreat  to  which  he  has  withdrawn,  in  order 
that  he  may  modestly  seem  to  shun  the  distinction 
which  he  so  dearly  purchases ;  or,  as  some  of  the 
kings  explain  it,  that  he  may  remember  that  he 
is  raised  from  the  dust  to  the  throne.  The  latter 
reason  is  confirmed  by  an  additional  ceremony,  in 
which  each  of  the  assistants  marches  with  mea 
sured  step  towards  him,  and  places  his  foot  upon 
the  head  of  the  candidate,  after  which  they  raise 
him  up,  and  prostrate  themselves  before  him,  cast 
ing  their  bows  and  arrows  at  his  feet.  This  hu 
mility,  which  so  ordinarily  precedes  the  elevation 
of  the  ambitious,  is  compensated  by  the  assumption 
of  the  true  regal  character,  and  the  absolute  mon 
arch  in  turn  treads  upon  the  necks  of  his  subjects, 
that  his  power  over  them  may  be  evident.  After 
these  forms  have  been  duly  complied  with,  he  is 
led  in  triumph  to  the  council-house,  where  a  feast 


Ctf.  3.]  SPANISH   DISCOVERIES.  159 

has  been  prepared  by  the  women.  But  before  he 
indulges  in  the  pleasures  of  the  table,  he  must  ex 
hibit  one  further  proof  of  his  address,  by  discharg 
ing  an  arrow  into  a  cup  the  size  of  an  egg,  attached 
to  the  top  of  the  roof.  This  being  done,  each  wo 
man  serves  him  in  turn  with  a  bowl  of  Ouicou,  an 
intoxicating  liquor,  which  he  must  swallow,  in 
order  to  show  that  he  can  drink  for  thirty  men,  as 
he  was  enabled  to  content  himself  for  thirty  days 
with  the  quantity  of  food  which  one  man  might 
readily  consume  in  a  single  one.  As  in  this  de 
bauch  he  is  compelled  to  vomit  frequently,  the  re 
past  has  more  the  air  of  a  rude  torture,  than  of  a 
festival.  The  courtiers  here,  as  in  more  magnifi 
cent  courts,  closely  imitate  their  master,  and  do 
not  cease  to  gorge  themselves  until  the  stock  of 
provisions  is  exhausted.* 

7.  Having  described  the  ceremonies  which  at 
tend  the  exaltation  of  a  chief  to  the  highest  civil 
rank,  the  reader  will  perhaps  be  gratified  with  an 
account  of  those  which  perfected  the  more  mys 
tical  character  of  the  Boyez,  or  priest.  When  the 
young  proselyte  has  sustained  years  of  trial,  under 
the  direction  of  some  ancient  Boyez,  whose  au 
thority  is  so  absolute  and  exclusive,  that  without 
his  permission  no  intercourse  may  exist  between 
the  pupil  and  his  nearest  relatives, — he  is  called 
before  his  teacher,  on  the  eve  of  the  night  which 
is  to  crown  his  invincible  patience,  and  terminate 
his  long  noviciate.  The  future  is  described  to  him 
in  the  most  attractive  colours — the  dignity  of  his 
destined  rank — the  power  consequent  on  having  a 
f'  miliar  spirit  at  his  command,  are  dwelt  on  to  ex 
cite  him  to  sustain  the  frightful  wonders  of  the 
night  without  shrinking. 

*  Lafitau,  vol.  1.  p.  304.  Letlre  du  P.  de  la  Neuville,  Meraoira 
deTrevoux  Mans.  1723, 


160  HISTORY    OP    AMERICA*  [oil.  3. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  women  are  engaged  in 
preparing  a  cabin,  in  which  they  suspend  three 
hammocks,  one  for  the  Maboya,  or  spirit,  one  for  the 
priest,  and  the  third  for  the  Neophite.  An  altar, 
composed  of  baskets,  or  tables  of  ozier  piled  to 
gether,  is  erected  at  the  end  of  the  cabin,  on  which 
are  placed  some  cakes  of  Cassava,  and  a  vessel  of 
Ouicou  for  the  spirit,  to  whom  the  sacrifice  is  to 
be  offered. 

Towards  the  middle  of  the  night,  the  priest  and 
his  disciple  enter  the  cabin  alone.  The  former, 
after  having  smoked  a  leaf  of  tobacco  rolled,  shouts 
in  a  tone  which  rises  almost  to  a  yell,  the  words  of 
a  magical  song,  which  are  instantly  followed,  if 
credit  be  given  to  the  narrators,  by  a  horrible  but 
distant  noise  in  the  air.  As  soon  as  this  is  heard 
by  the  conjuror,  he  extinguishes  the  fire  entirely, 
the  spirits  delighting  in  impenetrable  darkness. 
This  being  done,  the  Maboya  enters  the  cabin 
through  the  roof  with  the  celerity  of  lightning,  and 
the  noise  of  thunder.  The  trembling  occupants 
instantly  fall  prostrate,  and  offer  him  their  adora 
tion.  He  commences  a  conversation,  of  which  the 
inhabitants  of  the  neighbouring  cabins  are  careful 
not  to  lose  a  word,  by  inquiring  in  a  counterfeit 
voice  the  cause  of  his  evocation,  and  declares  his 
readiness  to  gratify  all  their  desires.  The  con 
juror  returns  thanks,  and  in  a  few  words,  prays  him 
first  to  partake  of  the  collation  prepared  for  him. 
Whereupon  the  demon  enters  his  hammock  with  an 
agitation  which  shakes  the  whole  hut,  and  disposes 
himself  to  eat.  A  violent  clatter  of  teeth  and  jaws 
follows,  as  if  he  actually  devoured  all  that  was  pre 
sented  to  him,  though  in  truth  nothing  is  consumed. 
The  people,  however,  are  persuaded  that  the  de 
mon  takes  what  is  suitable  for  him,  and  they  hold 
the  residue  to  be  sanctified,  and  fitted  for  the  use 
of  the  ancient  priests,  when  they  have  rendered 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  161 

themselves  worthy  of  partaking  of  it  by  the  high 
est  purification. 

The  noise  of  mastication  having  ceased,  the  con 
juror  descends  from  his  hammock,  and  kneeling  in 
a  suppliant  posture,  thus  addresses  the  demon  :  "  1 
have  called  upon  thee  not  only  to  offer  the  duty 
which  I  owe,  but  to  place  under  thy  protection  the 
young  man  now  present.  Cause  then  to  descend 
immediately  another  spirit  like  unto  thyself,  that 
this  youth  may  serve  him,  and  be  devoted  to  him, 
on  the  same  conditions  and  for  the  same  purposes 
for  which  I  have  served  thee  for  many  years." 

To  this  request  the  spirit  assents  with  the  sem 
blance  of  much  joy,  assuring  the  supplicant  that 
his  prayer  shall  be  instantly  granted.  And  in  fact 
a  second  spirit  gives  immediate  signs  of  his  pres 
ence,  by  a  noise  not  less  frightful  than  that  which 
announced  his  precursor.  The  priest  and  Genii 
then  unite  in  magical  incantations  and  contortions, 
until  they  are  nearly  exhausted,  and  until  the  af 
frighted  candidate  throws  himself  from  his  ham 
mock  to  the  earth  ;  and  also  in  a  suppliant  posture 
cries  out,  "  O  spirit  who  deignest  to  extend  to  me 
thy  protection,  be  favourable,  I  pray  thee,  to  the 
designs  of  one  who  is  lost  without  thine  aid,  and 
do  not  suffer  me  miserably  to  perish.  But  be  thou 
propitious  to  my  demands,  when  I  shall  call  on 
thee,  and  grant  whatever  shall  be  necessary  for  the 
happiness  of  iny  nation." 

"  Take  courage,"  replies  the  invoked  spirit.  "Be 
thou  faithful,  and  I  will  never  abandon  thee.  At 
sea  or  on  land,  I  will  be  ever  at  thy  side  in  the 
hour  of  peril.  But  know  also,  that  if  thou  servest 
me  not  faithfully  and  satisfactorily,  that  thou  shalt 
have  no  enemy  more  cruel  than  I."  With  these 
words  both  spirits  vanish,  amid  violent  noise,  in 
imitation  of  thunder,  which  completes  the  terror 
of  their  worshippers. 

02 


162  HISTORY   OP   AMERICA.  [cH.  3. 

Immediately  the  crowd  from  the  neighbouring 
cabins  rush  with  lights  upon  the  magical  scene, 
and  replace  in  their  beds  the  miserable  devotees, 
whom  they  find  prostrate  on  the  earth,  and  almost 
without  life.  Their  parents  and  friends  gather 
around  them,  and  warm  them  by  a  great  fire,  which 
they  kindle,  and  supply  them  with  food  to  restore 
their  strength,  exhausted  by  long  fasts.  But  it  is 
with  great  difficulty  that  they  succeed  in  removing 
from  the  imagination  of  the  initiated  the  horrors 
with  which  the  older  priests  have  stored  it.  These 
at  length  become  familiar,  and  with  the  progress 
of  years,  he  passes  from  the  dupe  to  the  knave, 
calls  upon  the  spirits  to  assist  at  the  initiation  of 
new  neophytes,  and  most  probably  assumes  the 
character,  and  plays  the  part  of  the  demon  himself 
in  these  lugubrious  ceremonies.* 

8.  But  in  the  season  of  war  only  did  the  island 
Carib  bow  to  the  supremacy  of  another.     Having 
no  law,  he  required  no  magistrate.     To  the  father 
of  a  family  belonged  that  authority  which  is  in 
separable  from  his  condition,  and  which  terminates 
with  the  dependence  of  his  offspring.     A  tribute 
of  respect  too  was  paid  to  age  and  experience,  but 
this  was  voluntary.")" 

9.  The  institution  of  marriage  was  recognized, 
so  far  as  the  appropriation  of  one  or  more  females 
to  one  male  may  be  called  such.     Polygamy  was 
allowed  with  some  show  of  excuse,  as  the  women, 
from  motives  of  superstition,  carefully  avoided  the 
nuptial  intercourse  during  pregnancy.    When  mar 
riageable,  the  male  was  expected  to  wed  his  cou- 
sins-germain  :  he  had  the  right  to  claim  them  for 
wives,  but  was  not  compelled  to  accept  them.:}:  The 
form  of  marriage  was  simple,  consisting  merely  in 
the  expression  of  assent  by  the  parties  and  their 

*  Lafitau.  vol.  1.  344.  t  Rochefort,  ch.  23. 19.  lib.  2. 

t  Ib.  ch.  22.  Du  Tertre,  torn.  2.  p.  374. 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH   DISCOVERIES.  163 

relatives,  but  the  contract  was  most  frequently  made 
by  the  latter.  Female  captives,  as  we  have  al 
ready  observed,  were  sometimes  espoused  by  their 
captors,  and  the  children  of  this  intercourse  were 
deemed  free,  but  the  mothers  were  considered  ag 
slaves.  Adultery  is  said  to  have  been  unknown 
among  them  before  the  European  discovery — after 
that  period  it  sometimes  occurred,  and  was  usually 
avenged  by  the  husband,  according  to  his  own  sense 
of  injury.  If  he  inflicted  death  upon  the  wife,  he 
reported  her  punishment  to  her  parents ;  who  not 
only  approved  the  execution,  but  frequently  offered 
him  another  daughter  to  wife.  As  among  all  un 
civilized  nations,  the  women  were  domestic  drudges, 
and  performed  the  chief  labours  in  house  and  field. 
If  a  Carib  had  more  than  one  wife,  he  built  a  hut 
for  each,  and  divided  his  time  among  them,  accord 
ing  to  his  pleasure,  always  assured  of  cheerful  and 
devoted  attention.  The  favourite  accompanied  him 
in  his  war  expeditions,  acting  the  part  of  servant 
and  squire.  Under  these  circumstances,  as  might 
be  expected,  the  women  were  not  prolific. 

10.  Besides  the  ornaments  usually  worn  by  both 
sexes,  the  women,  on  arriving  at  the  age  of  puberty, 
wore  a  buskin  of  cotton.  But  this  distinction  was 
not  permitted  to  captives.  In  other  respects,  both 
male  and  female  were  entirely  naked.  Their  hair, 
uniformly  of  a  shining  black,  long,  straight,  and 
coarse,  was  dressed  with  daily  care,  and  adorned 
with  much  art ;  the  men  particularly  decorating  it 
with  feathers  of  various  colours.  It  was  a  proof  of 
deep  sorrow,  when,  on  the  death  of  a  relative  or 
friend,  they  cut  it  short,  like  that  of  their  slaves, 
to  whom  the  luxury  of  long  hair  was  rigorously  de 
nied.  Like  most  nations  of  the  new  hemisphere, 
they  eradicated  with  great  nicety  the  incipient 
beard,  and  all  superfluous  hairs  upon  their  bodies; 
a  circumstance  which  gave  rise  to  the  false  opinion 


164  HISTORY    OP    AMERICA*  [ctt.  3< 

that  the  aborigines  of  America  were  naturally 
beardless.  The  most  remarkable  circumstance  con 
cerning  the  persons  of  the  Caribs,  was  the  altera 
tion  of  the  natural  form  of  the  head.  On  the  birth 
of  a  child,  the  skull  was  confined  between  two 
small  pieces  of  wood,  placed  before  and  behind, 
and  firmly  bound  together,  which  elevated  the  fore 
head,  and  gave  to  it  and  the  back  part  of  the  head 
the  resemblance  of  two  sides  of  a  square. 

11.  They  resided  in  villages,  consisting  of  cabins 
built  with  poles  fixed  circularly  in  the  ground,  and 
drawn  to  a  point  at  the  top,  and  covered  with  the 
leaves  of  the  palm-tree.    In  the  centre  of  each  vil 
lage  was  erected  a  building  of  superior  magnitude, 
for  a  council-house,  where  the  men,  excluding  the 
women,  assembled  to  take  their  meals,  and  where 
the  youth  were  inspired  with  martial  ardour,  and 
instructed  in  the  art  of  war  by  the  harangues  of 
the  elders. 

12.  The  arts  and  manufactures  of  such  a  people 
were  necessarily  few,  but  they  seem  to  have  been 
highly  perfected  in  their  kind.     Like   the  other 
islanders  visited  by  Columbus,  the  Caribs  made  an 
abundance  of  cotton  cloth,  which  they  dyed  of  va 
rious  colours,  but  chiefly  red,  and  used  for  making 
their  hammocks,  or  swinging  beds,  such  as  are  now 
used  at  sea,  and   for  partitioning  their  huts  into 
compartments.     They  formed  vessels  of  clay  for 
various  purposes,  which  they  baked  in  kilns,  sur 
passing  in  thinness,  smoothness,  and  beauty,  the 
like  fabrics  of  the  negroes  of  Africa,  and  equalling 
the  earthenware  made  by  more  civilized  nations. 
Of  the  nature  and  extent  of  their  agriculture,  our 
knowledge  is  slender  and  unsatisfactory.  They  are 
supposed  to  have  cultivated  their  lands  in  common, 
and  to  have  distributed  the  harvest,  from  public 
stores,  to  each  family  in  proportion  to  its  wants. 

13.  Their  food  consisted  of  bread  of  the  cassava 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  165 

and  maize,  sweet  potatoes,  the  various  other  fruits 
and  vegetables  of  their  climate ;  lizards,  particu 
larly  the  Iguana,  fish,  and  crabs,  and,  we  are  com 
pelled  to  add,  human  flesh,  when  they  could  obtain 
it.  They  had  also  beverages  made  of  the  ferment 
ed  infusions  of  potatoes,  cassava  roots,  and  fruits. 
But  they  rejected  with  abhorrence  some  of  the  rich 
est  bounties  of  nature  ;  refusing  to  eat  of  the  Pec 
cary  or  Mexican  hog,  the  Manati  or  sea-cow,  the 
turtle,  and  also  the  eel,  with  which  the  rivers  of 
some  of  the  islands  abounded.  This  abstinence 
has  been  supposed  to  arise  from  religious  motives, 
like  that  of  the  Jews,  as  was  also  a  singular  custom 
observed  by  the  Caribs  in  common  with  the  Tyba- 
renians  of  Asia,  and  the  inhabitants  of  Japan.  On 
the  birth  of  his  first  son,  the  father  retired  to  bed, 
and  fasted  for  ten  or  twelve  days,  with  a  strictness 
which  often  endangered  his  life.  And  a  similar 
but  shorter  fast  was  practised,  at  the  birth  of  his 
other  children.  If  this  custom  were  founded  in 
pious  sorrow  for  the  introduction  of  a  sentient  be 
ing  into  a  world  of  suffering,  the  mourning  was 
not  of  long  continuance,  and  was  immediately  suc 
ceeded  by  festivity  and  rejoicings,  and  by  drunken 
ness  and  debauchery.* 

14.  Unlike  the  Thracians  and  the  inhabitants  of 
the  Canary  Islands,  who  buried  the  dead  with  glad 
ness  and  rejoicing,  the  Caribs  mourned  with  great 
apparent  sincerity  the  deprivation  they  sustained. 
The  grave,  circular  in  form,  was  commonly  made 
in  the  dwelling  of  the  deceased,  and  the  body,  cov 
ered  with  a  hammock,  was  placed  on  a  stool  there- 
•'n,  in  a  sitting  posture,  with  the  knees  drawn  up  to 
the  chin.  The  ground  was  kept  open  ten  or  twelve 
days,  during  which  the  body  was  visited  by  the  re 
latives,  who  brought  with  them  meat  and  drink  to 

*  Rochefort,  Lafitau,  torn.  1.  p.  257.  Churchill's  Voy.  2  vol.  p.  133, 


166  HISTORY    OP    AMERICA.  [Clf.  S» 

present  to  it.  At  the  expiration  of  this  period  'of 
mourning,  the  grave  was  covered  with  planks  and 
earth,  the  nearest  relatives  cut  off  their  hair  and 
fasted  rigorously,  the  hut  was  abandoned,  and  an 
other  erected  for  the  family  in  a  distant  situation. 
When  the  body  had  decayed,  the  family  again  as 
sembled  round  it,  and  having  compactly  trodden 
the  earth  about  and  upon  it,  terminated  their  mourn 
ing  with  feasting  and  merriment. 

15.  Of  religion,  the  Caribs  had  such  obscure  and 
false  ideas  as  are  usual  among  savage  nations.  The 
human  mind,  in  its  greatest  weakness  or  its  great 
est  strength,  attains  the  conviction  of  the  existence 
of  a  supernatural  power — of  a  power  which  directs 
and  governs  all  creation,  as  the  will  guides  and  con 
trols  the  faculties  of  our  frame.  Of  the  attributes 
of  this  power  the  highest  perfection  of  our  reason 
imparts  a  very  limited  knowledge;  they  can  be 
fully  known  from  divine  revelation  only.  In  those 
workings  of  nature  which  are  visibly  beneficent, 
untutored  man  discovers  the  influence  of  a  good 
and  merciful  spirit,  whilst  in  the  ravages  of  the 
storm  and  the  blight,  he  beholds  the  power  of  a 
malignant  one.  Hence,  every  people  are  in  some 
degree  Manicheans,  having  faith  in  good  and  evil 
deities,  whom  they  endeavour  to  propitiate ;  and  in 
proportion  to  their  mental  cultivation,  their  adora 
tion  is  offered  to  the  one  or  to  the  other.  The 
Caribs  had  even  some  obscure  and  undefined  no 
tions  of  a  supreme  intelligence  which  created  and 
governs  all  things — but,  unable  to  elevate  their 
minds  to  the  proper  contemplation  of  the  true  God, 
they  cultivated  the  favour  of  certain  inferior  di 
vinities,  one  of  whom  they  supposed  to  be  attached 
to  each  individual  person.  They  had  also  some 
rude  notions  of  practical  worship,  and  offered  sacri 
fices  of  their  favourite  viands,  upon  altars  erected 
in  their  cottages,  to  household  gods,  which  were 


CH.  3k]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  167 

rude  effigies  of  the  invisible  powers.  These  offer 
ings  were  more  frequently  made  to  avert  the  anger 
of  the  evil,  than  in  gratitude  for  the  beneficence  of 
the  good  spirit.  And  as,  wherever  there  is  reli 
gious  worship,  however  simple  or  imperfect,  there 
are  priests  or  intermediate  agents  between  the  wor 
shipper  and  his  God,  who  know,  or  claim  to  know 
his  will,  and  to  aid  in  the  administration  of  his 
power — so  the  Carib  had  his  Boyez,  who  was  his 
priest,  his  enchanter,  and  his  physician,  to  whom 
he  liberally  imparted  a  share  of  all  his  acquisitions, 
that  he  might  prevail  with  Maboya.  (their  common 
name  for  evil  spirits,)  to  forbear  to  do  him  an  injury, 
or  to  open  to  his  view  the  volume  of  futurity. 
These  applications  were  also  frequently  accompa 
nied  by  severe  penances  inflicted  by  the  applicant 
upon  himself,  such  as  long  fasts,  and  lacerations  of 
the  body  with  the  tooth  of  the  Agouti. 

The  benevolent  deities  were  called  Akamboue, 
which  seems  to  have  been  the  term  for  abstract 
spirit,  and  was  also  applied  to  the  souls  of  men. 
But  most  commonly,  the  men  addressed  these  Gods 
by  the  name  of  Icheiro,  and  the  women  by  that  of 
Chemin.  And  when  each  spoke  particularly  of  his 
own  guardian  spirit,  the  men  called  him  Icheirikoiv, 
and  the  women  Chindignum. 

Faith  in  a  divine  providence  is  almost  insepara 
ble  from  a  belief  in  a  future  state.  The  Caribs  be 
lieved,  not  only  that  death  was  not  the  extinction 
of  their  being,  but  they  pleased  themselves  with 
the  conceit,  that  their  departed  relatives  were  spec 
tators  of  their  conduct,  and  sympathized  with  their 
sufferings  and  their  joys.  They  assigned  to  the 
brave  and  the  virtuous,  in  a  future  life,  an  increase 
and  sublimation  of  the  pleasures  they  enjoyed  be 
fore  death.  Military  honour  and  renown,  and  the 
attendance  of  their  wives  and  captives,  entered  into 
their  highest  ideas  of  happiness  in  their  new  state  ; 


168  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [CH.  3. 

and  that  these  enjoyments  might  be  complete,  they 
sometimes  sacrificed,  at  their  funerals,  a  portion  of 
the  captives  which  the  deceased  had  taken  in  war. 
To  the  cowardly  and  degenerate,  they  allotted  a  far 
different  fate.  These  were  doomed  to  everlasting 
banishment  beyond  the  mountains  ; — to  unremit 
ting  labour  in  disgraceful  employments,  and  to  a 
humiliation  still  more  deep — captivity  and  servi 
tude  among  the  Arrowauks.* 

16.  The  language  of  the  Caribs  is  said  to  have 
been  smooth  and  labial,  and  was  subject  to  an  ex 
traordinary  variation  when  spoken  by  the  respec 
tive  sexes,  many  words  being  peculiar  to  each.  This 
peculiarity  is  supposed  to  have  been  occasioned  by 
the  adherence  of  the  women,  who  were  preserved 
from  slaughter  when  the  Caribs  first  conquered 
these  islands,  to  their  original  language,  and  to 
their  having  perseveringly  taught  it  to  their  female 
descendants.  And  this  supposition  is  sustained 
by  the  fact,  that  no  such  variation  was  discovera 
ble  among  the  Caribs  of  the  continent.  The  elders 
of  the  nation,  too,  had  a  dialect  which  was  exclu 
sively  used  in  their  discussions  in  council,  and 
which  was  never  communicated  to  the  women,  nor 
to  the  young  men,  until  they  mingled  in  public  af 
fairs.  Their  intellectual  cultivation  was  very  in 
considerable.  They  had  no  terms  for  abstract  ideas, 
such  as  understanding,  memory,  will,  &c. ;  and 
their  progress  in  arithmetic  scarce  enabled  them  to 
number  beyond  twenty ;  to  designate  that  number 
they  referred  to  their  fingers  and  toes,  and  when 
they  would  express  a  quantity  beyond  it,  they  ad 
verted  to  the  hair  of  their  heads,  or  the  sand  on  the 
sea-shore. f 

XIII.  1.  The  Arrowauks,  who  inhabited  the  large 

*  Rochefort.    Du  Tertre.    Purchas,  vol.  4.  p.  1274. 
t  Lafitau. 


CH.  3.J  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  169 

islands  of  Hispaniola,  Cuba,  Jamaica,  Porto  Rico, 
and  Trinidad,  and  others  not  possessed  by  the  Caribs, 
were  descended  from  the  Arrowauks  of  Guiana,  a 
race  of  Indians  to  whose  noble  qualities  the  most 
honourable  testimony  is  borne  by  every  traveller 
who  has  visited  them.*  The  whole  number  of  these 
islanders,  when  first  discovered  by  Columbus,  was 
estimated  by  Las  Casas  at  six  millions.  But  the 
natives  of  Hispaniola  were  reckoned  by  Oviedo  at 
one  million  only,  and  by  Martyr,  who  wrote  on  the 
authority  of  Columbus,  at  one  million  two  hundred 
thousand,  which  is  probably  the  most  correct.  Es 
timating  the  population  of  the  other  islands  to  bear 
the  same  proportion  to  their  extent,  the  number 
will  fall  greatly  short  of  the  first  computation."!" 

2.  In  stature  they  were  taller,  but  less  robust  than 
the  Caribs.  Their  colour  was  a  clear  brown,  not 
deeper  in  general  than  that  of  a  Spanish  peasant, 
much  exposed  to  the  wind  and  sun.  Like  the  Ca 
ribs,  they  altered  the  natural  form  of  the  head  in 
infancy,  but  in  a  different  manner :  the  forehead, 
from  the  eyebrows  to  the  coronal  suture,  was  de 
pressed,  by  which  an  unnatural  thickness  and  ele 
vation  was  given  to  the  hinder  part  of  the  skull. 
By  this  practice,  Herrera  assures  us,  the  crown  was 
so  strengthened,  that  a  Spanish  broad-sword,  in 
stead  of  cleaving  the  skull  at  a  stroke,  would  fre 
quently  break  short  upon  it !  Their  hair  was  uni 
formly  black  and  straight ; — their  features  hard  and 
unsightly  ; — the  face  broad,  the  nose  flat ;  but  their 
eyes  beamed  with  good-nature,  and  there  was  some 
thing  pleasing  and  inviting  in  their  countenances, 
which  proclaimed  a  frank  and  gentle  disposition. 
"  It  was  an  honest  face,"  (says  Martyr),  "  coarse, 
but  not  gloomy  ;  for  it  was  enlivened  by  confidence, 
and  softened  by  compassion."  Both  men  and  wo- 

*  1  Edw.  W.  I.  60.    Humboldt's  Personal  Narrative. 
1 1  Edw.  W.  I. 
VOL.  II.  P 


170  HISTORY    OF   AMERICA.  [cH.  3. 

men  wore  nothing  more  than  a  slight  covering  of 
cotton  cloth  around  the  waist ;  but  in  the  women 
it  extended  to  the  knees :  the  children  of  both 
sexes  appeared  entirely  naked. 

European  writers,  French  and  English,  have  fol 
lowed  each  other*  in  charging  on  this  and  other 
American  races,  feebleness  in  person  and  constitu 
tion—in  representing  them  as  incapable  of  labour, 
incurably  indolent,  and  insensible  to  the  attractions 
of  beauty,  and  the  influence  of  love.  If  the  Arro- 
wauk  were  not  capable  of  sustaining  the  labour  of 
a  European,  the  habits  of  his  life,  not  formed  by 
daily  drudgery,  were  an  adequate  and  satisfactory 
cause.  If  he  were  indolent,  the  bounty  of  benefi 
cent  Nature,  which  poured  around  him  in  profusion 
all  the  necessaries  of  life,  and  which  gave  him  a 
clime  where  inaction  is  happiness,  is  his  apology. 
But  if  he  were  insensible  to  the  influence  of  love, 
Nature  must  have  wrought  in  his  case  differently 
from  all  others  in  the  world  ;  and  a  tropical  sun, 
with  food  and  rest,  must  have  checked  the  current 
of  his  blood  more  effectually  than  the  frost,  the 
famine,  and  the  darkness  of  the  poles.  But  it  was 
not  so.  This  coldness  formed  no  part  of  the  dis 
position  of  our  islanders,  amongst  whom  an  attach 
ment  to  the  sex  was  remarkably  conspicuous. — 
"  Love  with  them  was  not  a  transient  and  youthful 
ardour  only  ;  but  the  source  of  all  their  pleasures, 
and  the  chief  business  of  life ;  for  not  being,  like 
the  Caribs,  oppressed  by  perpetual  solicitude,  and 
tormented  by  an  unquenchable  thirst  of  revenge, 
they  gave  full  indulgence  to  the  instincts  of  na 
ture,  whilst  the  influence  of  the  climate  heightened 
the  sensibility  of  the  passions. "f 

3.  Their  limbs  were  pliant  and  active,  and  their 
motions  displayed  gracefulness  and  ease.  Their 

*  Buffbn.  De  Pauw.    Robertson. 

t  1  Edw.  W.I.  ch.  3.  P.  Martyr,  Dec.  3.  a  8-  Herrera,  lib.  a 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVEBIES.  171 

agility  was  eminently  conspicuous  in  their  dances  ; 
wherein  they  delighted  and  excelled,  devoting  the 
cool  hours  of  the  night  to  this  employment.  It  was 
their  custom  to  dance  from  evening  to  the  dawn ; 
and  although  fifty  thousand  men  and  women  were 
frequently  assembled  together  on  these  occasions, 
they  seemed  actuated  by  one  common  impulse, 
keeping  time  by  responsive  motions  of  their  hands 
and  feet,  and  bodies,  writh  an  exactness  that  was 
wonderful.  These  public  dances,  for  they  had 
others  highly  licentious,  were  appropriated  to  par 
ticular  solemnities,  and  being  accompanied  with 
historical  songs,  were  called  Areytos  ;  a  feature  in 
their  political  institutions  of  which  we  shall  pres 
ently  speak.* 

Besides  the  exercise  of  dancing,  another  diver 
sion  prevailed  among  them,  called  Bato,  which  had 
a  distant  resemblance  to  the  game  of  cricket.  The 
players  were  divided  into  two  parties,  which  alter 
nately  changed  places ;  and  the  sport  consisted  in 
dexterously  throwing  and  returning  an  elastic  ball, 
made  of  the  gum  of  a  tree,  from  one  party  to  the 
other.  It  was  not,  however,  caught  in  the  hand, 
or  returned  with  an  instrument ;  but  received  on 
the  head,  the  elbow,  or  the  foot,  and  the  dexterity 
and  force  with  which  it  was  thence  repelled,  were 
astonishing  and  inimitable. 

4.  The  same  writers,  who  would  teach  us  to  be 
lieve  that  this  race  was  inferior  to  any  of  the  old 
world  in  physical  power,  have  also  denied  them  in 
tellectual  ability.  But  how  shall  this  inferiority  be 
determined  ?  Not  by  a  comparison  with  the  highly 
improved  and  cultivated  Europea'n,  or  Asiatic,  nor 
with  the  African  of  the  Nile,  or  Mediterranean. 
But  the  Arrowauk  may  be  fearlessly  compared  with 
the  northern  savages  of  Europe,  with  the  wander- 

*  1  Edw.  W.  I.  ch.  3.    P.  Martyr,  Dec.  3.  c.  8.   Herrera,  lib.  3. 


172  HISTORY    OF   AMERICA.  [dl.  3. 

ing  and  houseless  hordes  of  Asia,  and  the  thousand 
tribes  of  southern  and  central  Africa.  And  he  will 
be  found  to  possess  in  an  eminent  degree  the  pow 
ers  which  dignify  humanity.  Nay,  let  us  ask,  how 
much  lower  in  the  scale  should  he  be  placed,  than 
the  Gaul  and  the  Briton,  the  dweller  in  huts,  clad 
in  garments  of  undressed  skins",  without  agricul 
ture,  or  a  permanent  home — who  scarce  emerged 
from  the  darkness  of  his  sombre  forests,  save  to  fly 
from  a  powerful  enemy,  or  to  plunder  and  destroy 
a  feeble  neighbour.  The  capacity  of  the  West  In 
dian  seems  in  all  respects  to  have  been  equal  to 
that  of  other  men  similarly  situated.  With  few 
artificial  wants  to  stimulate  his  invention  ;  with  his 
natural  ones  abundantly  and  almost  spontaneously 
supplied,  he  had  no  inducement  to  mental  or  bodily 
toil ;  and  had  such  inducement  existed,  deprived 
of  the  useful  metals,  and  the  aid  of  domesticated 
animals,  his  progress  in  improvement  must  have 
been  tardy.  If,  therefore,  they  rose  in  some  respects 
to  a  degree  of  refinement  not  often  observed  in 
savage  life,  we  may  justly  presume  that  in  a  state 
of  society,  productive  of  new  desires  and  artificial 
necessities,  and  with  proper  appliances,  they  would 
have  attained  a  distinguished  grade  of  improve 
ment.  But  what  they  wanted  in  excited  energy  of 
mind,  was  abundantly  supplied  by  the  softer  affec 
tions  ;  by  sweetness  of  temper,  and  native  good 
ness  of  disposition.  "All  writers,  who  have  treated 
of  their  character,  agree  that  they  were  unques 
tionably  the  most  gentle  and  benevolent  of  the  hu 
man  race.  Though  not  blessed  with  the  light  of 
revelation,  they  practised  one  of  the  noblest  pre 
cepts  of  Christianity,  forgiveness  of  their  enemies  ; 
laying  all  that  they  possessed  at  the  feet  of  their 
oppressors,  courting  their  notice,  and  preventing 
their  wishes,  with  such  fondness  and  assiduity,  ag 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  173 

should  have  disarmed  habitual  cruelty,  and  melted 
bigotry  into  tenderness.*" 

5.  The  government  of  these  tribes  differed 
greatly  from  that  known  to  the  Caribs.  Whilst  the 
latter  refused  to  recognize  any  authority,  except  in 
time  of  war,  the  former  were  subject  to  hereditary 
chiefs  whose  power  was  absolute,  and  who  were 
regarded  with  the  most  profound  reverence  and 
submission.  Opposition  to  the  supreme  authority 
was  deemed  impious.  And  if  the  prince  com 
manded  the  subject  to  cast  himself  from  a  high 
rock,  or  to  drown  himself  in  the  sea,  the  sovereign 
will  was  obeyed  without  a  murmur.  The  island  of 
Haiti  was  divided  into  five  kingdoms,  as  we  have 
stated  elsewhere.  Each  kingdom  was  subdivided 
among  inferior  chiefs,  who  held  their  possessions 
by  a  species  of  feudal  tenure,  the  service  of  which 
consisted  in  attendance  upon  the  sovereign,  in 
peace  or  in  war,  whenever  commanded  so  to  do.f 

We  have  to  regret  that  the  Spanish  historians 
have  left  us  in  ignorance  concerning  this  order  of 
nobles,  and  the  nature  and  extent  of  their  subordi 
nate  jurisdiction. 

"  The  islands  of  Cuba  and  Jamaica  were  divided, 
like  Hispaniola,  into  many  principalities  or  king 
doms  ;  but  Porto  Rico  was  subject  to  one  Cacique 
only.  We  have  observed  that  the  dignity  of  a  chief 
tain  was  hereditary,  but  the  law  of  succession  was 
peculiar  to  the  country.  Martyr  observes,:j:"that 
the  Caciques  bequeathed  the  supreme  authority  to 
the  children  of  their  sisters,  according  to  seniority, 
disinheriting  their  own  offspring,  being  certain 
that  by  this  policy  they  preferred  the  blood-royal  ; 
which  might  not  happen  to  be  the  case  in  advanc 
ing  any  of  the  children  of  their  numerous  wives." 

*  Martyr.    Herrera.    F.  Columbus,  c.  27.  32.    1  Edw.  W.  I.  c.  3. 
t  Oviedo,  lib.  3.  c.  iv.  t  Dec.  1.  lib.  2 

P2 


174  HISTORY    OP   AMERICA.  fcH.  3- 

The  relation  of  Oviedo  is  somewhat  different  and 
more  probable ;  he  remarks  that  one  of  the  wives 
of  each  Cacique  was  distinguished  above  the  rest, 
and  was  considered  by  the  people  as  the  reigning 
queen ;  the  children  of  whom,  according  to  priori 
ty  of  birth,  succeeded  to  the  father's  honours.  In 
default  of  issue  by  the  favourite  princess,  the  sis 
ters  of  the  Cacique,  if  there  were  no  surviving 
brothers,  took  place  of  his  children  by  other  wives.* 
Thus  Anacoana,  on  the  death  of  Behechio,  her 
brother,  became  queen  of  Xaragua.  This  regula 
tion  was  obviously  intended  to  prevent  the  mis 
chiefs  of  a  disputed  succession,  among  children 
whose  pretensions  were  equal. 

6.  When  a  Cacique  died,  his  body  was  embowel 
ed,  and  dried  in  an  oven  moderately  heated,  so 
that  the  bones  and  even  the  skin  were  preserved 
entire,  and  afterwards  placed  in  a  cave  with  those 
of  his  ancestors,  where  also  were  deposited  a  due 
proportion  of  bread,  wine,  and  the  arms  of  the  de 
ceased.*  If  he  was  slain  in  battle  and  the  body 
not  recovered,  his  subjects  composed  songs  in  his 
praise,  which  they  taught  their  children — "  A  bet 
ter  and  nobler  testimony,"  says  Edwards, f  "than 
heaps  of  dry  bones  or  monuments  of  marble  ;  since 
memorials  to  the  deceased  are,  or  ought  to  be,  in 
tended  less  in  honour  of  the  dead  than  as  incite 
ments  to  the  living."  The  people  preserved  only 
the  heads  of  their  deceased  relatives  ;  and  when  a 
person  was  at  the  point  of  death,  in  mistaken  hu 
manity,  they  strangled  him.  This  fate  also  attended 
the  Caciques.  Sometimes  they  were  carried  from 
the  house  ;  at  others,  bread  and  water  was  placed 
at  their  bed-head,  and  they  were  left  to  perish 
alone.  On  other  occasions,  they  bore  the  patient, 

*  Oviedo,  lib.  v.  c.  111.  t  1  Hist.  W.  I.  ch.  3. 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  175 

when  very  ill,  to  the  nearest  prince,  who  decided 
whether  he  should  be  suffocated.  •/ 

It  is  related  by  Martyr  and  Herrera,*  that,  on 
the  death  of  a  Cacique,  the  most  beloved  of  his 
wives  was  immolated  at  his  funeral.  Thus  Anaca- 
ona,  on  the  death  of  her  brother,  Behechio,  ordered 
a  beautiful  woman,  named  Guanaliata  Benechina, 
to  be  buried  alive  in  the  cave  where  his  body  was 
deposited.  But  Oviedo,j  by  no  means  partial  to 
the  Indian  character,  denies  that  this  custom  was 
general.  Anacaona,  who  had  been  married  to 
a  Carib,  may  have  adopted  this  part  of  his  national 
customs.  And  Edwards  somewhat  maliciously  re 
marks,  "  it  is  not  impossible,  under  a  female  admin 
istration,  among  savages,  but  that  the  extraordinary 
beauty  of  the  unfortunate  victim  contributed  to  her 
destruction.^:" 

7.  The  songs  in  praise  of  deceased  chieftains, 
constituted  a  branch  of  those  solemnities  which 
were  called  Areytos,  consisting  of  hymns  and  pub 
lic  dances,  accompanied  with  musical  instruments 
made  of  shells,  and  a  sort  of  drum,  the  sound  of 
which  was  heard  at  a  great  distance.  These  hymns, 
reciting  the  great  actions  of  the  departed  Cacique, 
his  fame  in  war,  and  his  gentleness  in  peace,  form 
ed  a  national  history,  at  once  a  tribute  of  gratitude 
to  the  deceased,  and  a  lesson  to  the  living.  Nor 
could  any  thing  have  been  more  instructive  to  the 
rising  generation  than  this  institution,  since  it  com 
prehended  also  the  antiquities  of  their  country,  and 
the  traditions  of  their  ancestors.  The  triumph  for 
victory  in  war,  the  lamentation  for  public  calamity, 
the  national  festivities,  and  the  expression  of  the 
passion  of  love,  were  all  subjects  of  these  exhibi 
tions  ;  the  dance  being  grave  or  gay,  as  the  subject 

*  Dec.  3.  lib.  9.    Herrera,  Dec.  L  lib.  3.  ch.  3. 

t  Lib.  v.  ch.  3. 

I  1  Edw.  West  Tnd.  ch.  3. 


176  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [ell.  3. 

required.  It  is  pretended,  that  among  the  tradi 
tions  thus  publicjy  recited,  there  was  one  of  a  pro 
phetic  nature,  denouncing  ruin  and  desolation  by 
the  arrival  of  strangers  completely  clad, and  armed 
with  the  lightning  of  heaven.  The  ceremonies 
which  were  observed  when  this  awful  prediction 
was  repeated,  we  may  well  believe,  were  strongly 
expressive  of  grief  and  horror.* 

8.  In  religious  science,  the  Arrowauks  were  fur 
ther  advanced  than  the  Caribs.  Their  conception 
of  the  creator,  whom  they  called  Jocahuna,  was 
more  definite  and  comprehensive.  They  deemed 
him  supreme,  invisible,  immortal,  and  omnipotent. 
But  they  assigned  to  him  a  father  and  mother,  whom 
they  distinguished  by  a  variety  of  names,  and  to 
whom  they  allotted  the  sun  and  the  moon  as  their 
chief  seats  of  habitation.  They  believed,  also,  that 
man  was  an  accountable  being,  and  that  the  deeds 
done  in  the  body  were  to  be  rewarded  in  a  future 
state,  according  to  their  kind.  The  remarkable 
speech  of  the  venerable  ancient  of  Cuba,  which  we 
have  already  recorded,  is  almost  Christian."]"  But 
their  notions  of  future  happiness  were  Mahometan. 
They  supposed,  that  spirits  of  good  men  were  con 
veyed  to  a  pleasant  valley,  called  Coyaba,  a  place 
of  indolent  tranquillity,  abounding  with  cool  shades 
and  murmuring  rivulets,  with  delicious  fruits  and 
lovely  women ;  in  a  country  where  drought  never 
rages,  and  the  hurricane  is  never  felt.  In  this  seat 
of  bliss,  they  held  that  their  greatest  enjoyments 
would  arise  from  the  company  of  their  departed  an 
cestors,  and  of  those  persons  who  were  dear  to  them 
in  life.:j: 

By  a  common  inconsistency  of  the  human  mind 
on  religious  subjects,  they  considered  the  Creator 

*  Martyr,  Dec.  3.  lib.  9.  t  See  vol.  i.  p.  168. 

t  Herrera,  Dec.  1.  lib.  3.  ch.  3.  Martyr,  Dec.  1.  lib.  ix.  F.Co 
lumbus.  Benzoni. 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  177 

as  regardless  of  his  work ;  as  having  transferred 
the  government  of  the  world  to  subordinate  beings, 
whom  they  believed  to  be  malignant,  delighting  to 
convert  into  evil  that  which  he  pronounced  to  be 
good.  The  effusion  of  gratitude,  the  warmth  of 
affection,  the  confidence  of  hope,  entered  not  into 
their  devotions.  Their  idols  of  wood  or  stone,  or 
of  painting,  were  universally  hideous  and  frightful, 
sometimes  representing  toads,  and  other  odious  rep 
tiles,  but  more  frequently  the  human  face  horribly 
distorted.  To  these  they  gave  the  name  of  Zemi. 
They  were  attended  by  Bohios,  or  priests,  arid  a 
large  house  in  each  village  was  erected  for  their 
worship.  This  sanctuary  was  jealously  guarded  by 
the  priests,  who  were  the  messengers  and  interpre 
ters  of  the  divine  will ;  and  the  mediators,  by  whose 
prayers  all  dangers  might  be  averted.  The  wor 
ship  consisted  in  certain  ceremonies  and  discourses 
of  the  Bohio,  and  in  a  singular  offering,  which  was 
partaken  by  the  worshipper.  In  the  temple  was 
placed  a  small  round  table,  ingeniously  wrought, 
on  which  was  kept  a  powder,  which  he  placed  on 
the  head  of  the  idol,  from  which,  by  means  of  a 
forked  tube,  he  drew  it  into  fiis  own  nostrils,  and 
immediately  left  the  place  raging  like  one  possess 
ed.*  To  the  profitable  cure  of  souls,  the  priests 
added  the  no  less  profitable  cure  of  bodies,  nnd 
they  likewise  claimed  the  privilege  of  .educating 
the  children  of  the  first  rank  of  people — thus  com 
bining  an  influence  which,  extending  to  the  high 
est  concerns  of  this  life  and  the  next,  was  irresisti- 
ble.f 

With  such  power  in  the  priesthood,  it  may  well 
be  supposed  that  the  alliance  between  church  and 
state  was  not  less  intimate  in  these  islands  than  in 
the  kingdoms  of  Europe.  Here,  as  there,  religion 

*  Herrera,  Dec.  1.  lib.  3,  c.  3.  J  Martyr. 


178  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [dl.  3. 

was  made  the  instrument  of  civil  despotism,  and 
the  will  of  the  Cacique,  if  confirmed  by  the  priest, 
was  impiously  pronounced  the  decree  of  heaven. 
Columbus  relates,  that  some  of  his  people  entering 
unexpectedly  into  one  of  their  houses  of  worship, 
found  the  Cacique  employed  in  obtaining  responses 
from  the  Zemi.  By  the  sound  of  the  voice  which 
came  from  the  idol,  they  knew  that  it  was  hollow  : 
and,  dashing  it  to  the  ground  to  expose  the  impos 
ture,  they  discovered  a  tube,  which  was  before 
covered  with  leaves,  that  communicated  from  the 
back  part  of  the  image  to  an  inner  apartment, 
whence  the  priest  issued  his  precepts  as  through  a 
speaking-trumpet ;  but  the  Cacique  earnestly  en 
treated  them  to  say  nothing  of  what  they  had  seen, 
declaring  that,  by  means  of  such  pious  frauds,  he 
collected  tributes,  and  kept  his  kingdom  in  subjec 
tion.* 

The  grossness  of  the  religious  faith  of  this  race 
will  be  more  fully  conceived,  when  it  is  understood 
that  they  held  their  idols,  the  work  of  their  own 
hands,  to  be,  not  only  the  effigies  of  the  divinity, 
but  to  be  in  themselves  immortal,  and  that  they 
would  appear  to  them  after  death.  Their  supersti 
tions  in  other  respects  were  not  less  gross.  A  tra 
dition  prevailed  among  them  that,  at  some  remote 
period  of  their  history,  all  their  women  had  desert 
ed  their  island;  and  that  whilst  ardently  longing  to 
supply  their  place,  the  men  went  forth  to  bathe, 
during  which  a  tremendous  rain  came  on,  and  they 
beheld  falling  among  the  trees  certain  forms  like 
to  the  human,  but  which  were  neither  men  nor 
women.  The  bathers  sought  to  take  them,  but  they 
fled  as  if  they  had  been  winged,  but  finally  four 
were  captured.  A  solemn  council  was  holden,  to 
determine  how  these  forms  might  be  converted  into 

*  Edw-  W.  I.  ch.  3.    F,  Columbus.    Herrera,  Dec.  1.  ch^  3. 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  179 

women,  and  a  metamorphosis  was  at  last  effected 
by  means  of  the  woodpecker.* 

They  believed  that  the  sun  and  moon  sprang 
from  a  cave,  which  they  called  lovobaba,  and  which 
they  held  in  great  reverence,  and  adorned  with 
small  idols  of  stone,  to  which  they  made  large  and 
frequent  offerings,  in  the  faith  that  these  Zemis 
would  send  them  rain  at  their  prayer.  They  be 
lieved,  also,  that  the  dead  reappeared  on  the  earth 
during  the  darkness  of  the  night,  in  their  natural 
forms,  for  their  diversion  ;  and  most  living  Indians 
were  fearful  of  wandering  alone  after  night-fall. f 

The  Bohios,  or  priests,  whom  we  have  already 
said  were  physicians  and  conjurors,  claimed  an  in 
timate  acquaintance  with  the  dead,  and  a  know 
ledge  of  their  secrets.  They  performed  cures,  as 
the  Spaniards  inform  us,  by  magical  and  diabolical 
arts.  They  carried  with  them  many  Zemis  of  stone 
and  wood ;  some  having  power,  as  they  averred,  to 
cause  rains,  others  to  promote  the  harvest,  and 
others  again  to  influence  the  winds.  The  rules 
which  governed  the  practice  of  the  physician  upon 
the  princes  and  nobles,  seem  to  have  been  framed 
with  a  view  to  the  protection  of  the  latter  from  in 
discreet  speculation  and  experiment,  since  the 
former  was  required  to  partake  of  the  medicine 
which  he  administered  to  them.  Upon  these  oc 
casions,  also,  the  physician  inhaled  through  the 
nostrils  a  species  of  herb  powdered,  which  pro 
duced  a  delirium,  attended  by  many  extravagant 

*  On  this  occasion,  we  must  adopt  the  modesty  of  Gibbon, 
and  give  our  readers  the  particulars  of  this  extraordinary  con 
version,  in  a  foreign  language.  Herrera  says — "Pero  que  al  fin 
tomaron  quatro,  y  qne  hizieron  consejo  entre  ellos,  como  harian 
que  fuessen  mugeres,  y  que  buscaron  un  pajaro,  que  agujera  los 
arboles,  que  nosotros  llaraarnos  picaca,  y  que  atendo  a.  estas  per- 
eonas  los  pies  y  las  manos,  les  pusieron  el  pajaro,  y  que  pensando 
que  era  madera,  commence  a  picar  en  la  parle  donde  tenian  su 
nnturaleza,  y  a?.i  quedaron  hechas  mugerefi  " 

t  Herrera,  ubi  supra. 


180  HISTORY    OF   AMERICA.  [ell,    3, 

and  foolish  actions,  during  which  he  pretended  to 
converse  with  his  Zemis,  and  to  receive  from  them 
the  proper  instructions  for  the  cure  of  the  patient. 
9.  In  the  arts  necessary  to  the  preservation  and 
comfortable  enjoyment  of  life,  the  Arrowauks  had 
made  considerable  progress.  Agriculture  was  sys 
tematically  and  extensively  prosecuted,  and  the 
maize,  Cassava,  Yams,  and  other  esculent  roots, 
yielded  them  an  abundant  and  wholesome  supply 
of  food.  Dr.  Robertson,*  with  that  want  of  dis 
crimination  which  was  inseparable  from  his  attempt 
to  reduce  all  the  tribes  of  America  under  one  gene 
ral  view,  observes,  that  as  the  natives  of  the  New 
World  had  no  tame  animals,  nor  the  use  of  the 
metals,  their  agriculture  must  necessarily  have 
been  imperfect.  To  this  remark  Mr.  Edwards  prop 
erly  replies,  "  that  as  every  family  raised  corn  for 
their  own  support,  and  the  islands,  (to  use  the  ex 
pression  of  Las  Casas)  abounding  with  inhabitants 
as  an  ant-hill  with  ants,  a  very  small  portion  of 
ground  allotted  to  each,  would  comprehend  in  the 
aggregate  an  immense  space  of  cultivated  coun 
try.  Unacquainted  with  the  soil  of  the  West  In 
dies,  Dr.  Robertson  should  have  delivered  his  sen 
timents  on  this  subject  with  diffidence.  That  soil 
which  is  known  in  these  islands  by  the  name  of 
brick-mould,  is  not  only  superior  to  most  others  in 
fertility,  but  requires  very  little  trouble  in  cultiva 
tion.  Among  our  islanders,  to  whom  the  use  of 
iron  was  unknown,  instruments  were  ingeniously 
formed  of  stone,  and  of  a  certain  species  of  dura 
ble  wood,  which  were  endued  with  nearly  equal 
solidity  and  sharpness.  Possessing  the  tools  and 
materials  necessary  for  these  purposes,  they  could 
not  be  destitute  of  proper  implements  for  the  ruder 
operations  of  husbandry,  on  a  soil  incapable  of 

*  HisUAm.  b.  4.  sec.  62. 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  181 

much  resistance."*  We  may  add,  that  the  propo 
sition  of  Guarionex,  the  Cacique  of  the  Vega,  to 
Columbus,  to  cultivate  with  grain  a  band  of  country 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty  leagues  in  length,  affords 
unequivocal  evidence  of  astonishing  agricultural 
capacity  in  his  subjects. f 

In  the  arts  of  navigation,  their  progress  was  not 
considerable,  since  they  had  not  acquired  the  use 
of  masts  and  sails,  but  employed  oars  or  paddles 
only  to  propel  their  boats.  Yet  these  vessels  were 
constructed  with  skill,  and  frequently  much  orna 
mented  by  painting  and  sculpture,  and  sometimes 
were  sufficiently  capacious  to  carry  one  hundred 
and  fifty  persons.  They  were  commonly  made  of 
cedar,  or  the  great  cotton-tree  hollowed  and  squared 
at  each  end,  like  punts.  Their  gunnels  were  raised 
with  canes,  braced  close,  and  smeared  over  with 
some  bituminous  substance,  to  render  them  water 
tight.!  They  were  sometimes  driven  by  forty  oars, 
and  had  an  awning  constructed  of  mats  and  palm- 
leaves,  sufficient  to  protect  the  voyagers  from  the 
sun,  rain,  and  spray  of  the  sea.§ 

In  the  manufacture  of  domestic  utensils  and  fur 
niture,  our  islanders  displayed  much  elegance  and 
variety,  especially  in  their  earthenware,  curiously 
woven  beds,  and  implements  of  husbandry.  Among 
the  presents  made  to  Bartholomew  Columbus  by 
the  princess  Anacoana,  were  fourteen  chairs  of 
wood,  like  ebony,  beautifully  wrought,  and  no  less 
than  sixty  vessels  of  different  sorts,  for  the  use  of 
his  kitchen  and  table,  all  of  which  were  ornament 
ed  with  figures  of  various  kinds,  fantastic  forms, 
and  accurate  representations  of  living  animals. 
Chairs  have  been  found  by  the  French  colonists  at 
Samana,  formed  of  the  yellow  Acomas,  one  of  the 

*  1  Edw.  W.  I.  b.  1.  eh.  ?.  (uote.)        t  See  page  187.  vol.  1. 
t  P  Martyr.  Deo.  1.  $  Herrera,  Dec.  1.  lib.  5. 

VOL,  II.  Q 


182  HISTORY    OP    AMERICA.  [CH.  3. 

hardest  woods  of  the  island,  so  neatly  made  and 
highly  polished,  as  to  excite  the  wonder  of  the  dis 
coverer,  that  such  works  could  be  executed  with 
out  tools  of  iron.*  And  in  the  Museum  of  the  Ame 
rican  Philosophical  Society,  at  Philadelphia,  is  a 
stool,  or  chair  of  wood,  taken  from  a  cave  in  St. 
Salvador,  representing  an  animal  with  protruding 
head,  short  legs,  and  the  posterior  part  of  the 
body  turned  up,  forming  a  back.  But  it  is  rudely 
carved,  and  the  seat  is  not  raised  more  than  six 
inches  from  the  ground.  They  fabricated  orna 
ments  of  gold,  for  the  head,  neck,  arms,  and  an 
kles,  by  which  new  value  was  given  to  the  metal 
in  the  taste  of  the  forms  into  which  they  cast  it.j" 
The  industry  and  ingenuity,  therefore,  of  this  peo 
ple  must  have  greatly  exceeded  the  measure  of  their 
wants.  Having  provided  for  the  necessities  of  their 
condition,  they  proceeded  to  improve  and  adorn  it.f 
But  they  were  wofully  deficient  in  the  means  of 
defending  themselves  and  their  possessions  against 
the  cruelty  and  cupidity  of  their  Carib  foes,  and 
the  greater  inhumanity  and  avarice  of  their  Chris 
tian  friends.  Their  warlike  instruments  consisted 
of  stakes,  sharpened  at  the  end,  and  hardened  in 
the  fire,  except  among  the  inhabitants  on  some  por 
tions  of  the  sea-shore,  who  had  borrowed  from  the 
Caribs  the  use  of  the  bow.  Although  thus  igno 
rant  of  warfare,  and  overflowing  with  benevolence, 
— though  unused  to  privation,  and  habituated  to 
self-indulgence,  and  to  unrestricted  sensual  gratifi 
cation,  and  to  all  those  enjoyments  which  render 
men  unfit  to  contend  with  their  fellows  endowed 
with  sterner  qualities,  the  Arrowaiik  was  brave ! 
We  repeat  that  he  was  brave,  notwithstanding  the 
calumnies  of  his  European  oppressors.  He  resisted 
and  repelled  the  Carib,  and  when  he  discovered 

*  Mem.  of  M.  Arihaud.  Cap  Fran.  1786. 
t  Martyr,  Dec.  1.  f  Edw.  W.  Ind. 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  183 

that  his  Spanish  guest,  if  a  supernatural  being,  was 
a  demon  of  evil,  he  heroically  opposed  him,  unde 
terred  by  his  superiority  of  arms,  his  fleet  and 
fiery  horses,  and  his  savage  blood-hounds.  To  re 
gain  his  freedom,  the  poor  but  spirited  Indian  ex 
posed  his  naked  body  to  the  keen  sabre  of  an  in 
vulnerable  foe,  and  to  the  bolt  and  the  flash  which 
he  had  but  too  just  cause  to  dread,  more  than  the 
thunder  and  lightning  of  the  heavens.  His  failure 
against  such  odds  should  not  derogate  from  his 
character.  The  Indian  of  the  other  hemisphere, 
with  far  greater  power  to  resist,  has  been  compelled 
to  yield  to  the  northern  conquerors,  and  he  has  been 
preserved  under  their  dominion,  because  his  task 
masters  are  better  calculators  of  the  mercantile 
value  of  human  life,  and  because  he  has,  by  the 
endurance  of  ages  of  tyranny, \  become  insensible 
to  its  inflictions. 

10.  It  may  be  safely  affirmed,  that  history  affords 
no  instance  of  greater  barbarity  than  that  exer 
cised  on  these  innocent  and  inoffensive  people. 
And  although  it  be  authenticated  beyond  the  pos 
sibility  of  dispute,  the  mind,  shrinking  from  the 
contemplation,  wishes  to  resist  conviction,  and  re 
lieve  itself  by  incredulity.  From  this  cause,  per 
haps,  Dr.  Robertson  has  become  the  apologist  of 
the  Spaniards.  Yet  even  he  admits,*  that  in  the 
short  interval  of  fifteen  years  after  the  discovery, 
the  natives  of  Hispaniola  were  reduced  from  a  mil 
lion  to  sixty  thousand.  Oviedo  himself,  f  who  en 
deavours  to  palliate  the  barbarities  of  his  country 
men  towards  the  Indians,  by  asserting  that  the 
latter  were  addicted  to  unnatural  vices,  confesses, 
that  in  1535,  only  forty-three  years  posterior  to  the 
discovery  of  Hispaniola,  and  when  he  was  on  the 
spot,  there  were  not  left  alive  on  that  island  above 

*Hist.  Am.  vol.  1.  book  111.  t  Oviedo,  lib.  3.  c.  6. 


184  HISTORY    OF    A3IEKICA.  [CH.  3. 

five  hundred  of  the  original  natives,  old  and  young; 
for,  he  adds,  that  all  the  other  Indians  at  that  time 
there,  had  been  forced  or  decoyed  into  slavery,  from 
the  neighbouring  islands.  Sir  Francis  Drake,  who 
landed  at  Haiti  in  1585,  states,  that  the  Spaniards 
had  then  utterly  exterminated  the  ancient  Indians. 
The  means  by  which  this  extraordinary  mortality 
was  effected,  are  thus  summed  up  with  honest  in 
dignation,  by  Mr.  Edwards.  "  The  Spaniards  dis 
tributed  them  (the  Indians)  into  lots,  and  com 
pelled  them  to  dig  in  the  mines  without  rest  or  in 
termission  until  death,  their  only  refuge,  put  a  pe 
riod  to  their  sufferings.  Such  as  attempted  resist 
ance  or  escape,  their  merciless  tyrants  hunted 
down  with  dogs,  which  were  fed  on  their  flesh. 
They  disregarded  sex  and  age,  and  with  impious 
and  frantic  bigotry,  even  called  in  religion  to  sanc 
tify  their  cruelties.  Some,  more  zealous  than  the 
rest,  forced  their  miserable  captives  into  the  water, 
and  after  administering  to  them  the  rite  of  baptism, 
cut  their  throats  the  next  moment  to  prevent  their 
apostasy  !  Others  made  a  vow  to  hang  or  burn 
thirteen  every  morning,  in  honour  of  our  Saviour 
and  his  twelve  apostles  :  nor  were  these  the  ex 
cesses  only  of  a  blind  and  remorseless  fanaticism, 
which,  exciting  our  abhorrence,  also  excites  our 
pity.  The  Spaniards  were  actuated  in  many  in 
stances  by  such  wantonness  of  malice,  as  is  wholly 
unexampled  in  the  wide  history  of  human  depravi 
ty.  Martyr  relates,  that  it  was  a  frequent  practice 
among  them  to  murder  the  Indians  of  Hispaniola 
in  sport,  or  merely,  he  observes,  to  keep  their  hands 
in  use.  They  had  an  emulation  which  of  them 
could  most  dexterously  strike  off  the  head  of  a  man 
at  a  blow,  and  wagers  frequently  depended  on  this 
hellish  exercise.*  To  fill  up  the  measure  of  this 

*  Martyr.  Dec.  1.  lib.  7. 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH   DISCOVERIES.  185 

iniquity,  and  demonstrate  to  the  world  that  the  na 
tion  at  large  participated  in  the  guilt  of  individuals, 
the  court  of  Spain  not  only  neglected  to  punish 
these  enormities  in  its  subjects,  but,  when  rapacity 
and  avarice  had  nearly  defeated  their  own  purposes, 
by  the  utter  extirpation  of  the  natives  of  Hispani- 
ola,  the  king  gave  permission  to  seize  on  the  un 
suspecting  inhabitants  of  the  neighbouring  islands, 
and  transport  them  to  perish  in  the  mines  of  St. 
Domingo.* 

The  destruction  of  the  Caribs  was  a  labour  more 
difficult  and  protracted,  but  it  was  specially  licensed 
by  the  Spanish  sovereigns.  In  1504,  when  general 
orders  were  given  (seldom  regarded)  for  the  protec 
tion  of  the  persons  and  properties  of  the  Indians, 
both  of  the  islands  and  the  continent,  the  Caribs 
were  exempted  from  their  benefit.  The  royal  order 
states,  that,  although  due  care  had  been  taken  to 
convert  the  Indians  to  Christianity,  and  to  teach 
them  to  live  as  rational  beings,  by  the  mission  of 
religious  men,  who  had  been  well  received  in  some 
of  the  islands,  yet,  in  others,  there  was  a  certain 
race  called  Cannibals,  which  rejected  the  pastors, 
repelling  them  by  arms,  slaying  the  Christians, 
Spaniards  as  well  as  natives,  or  capturing  them, 
with  design  to  feed  upon  them, — that,  therefore, 
for  the  service  of  God,  the  peace  and  security  of 
the  pacific  Indians,  it  was  proper  that  such  offend 
ers  should  be  chastised  ;  and  having  consulted 
their  council,  and  considering  that  such  Cannibals 
had  contumaciously  refused  the  oft-extended  grace 
of  reception  by  the  church,  incorporation  with  the 
faithful,  and  the  rule  of  the  Spanish  authority  ;  and 
had  become  hardened  in  their  evil  propensities, 
idolatry  and  the  eating  of  human  flesh,  it  should  be 
lawful  for  all  persons  proceeding  by  royal  command 

*  1  Edw.  W.I.  book  l.ch.  3. 
Q2 


166  HISTORY    OP   AMERICA.  [cit.  o. 

to  the  islands  or  -Terra  Firma,  to  capture,  make 
slaves,  and  sell  them,  paying  the  royal  dues,  that 
they  might  the  more  readily  be  converted  to  Chris* 
tianity.  This  license,  which  so  happily  blended 
religious  duty  and  commercial  profit,  was  improved 
upon  all  occasions.  And  the  Carib,  thus  given  up 
to  destruction,  and  hunted  down  as  a  beast  of  prey, 
would  have  been  immediately  annihilated,  had  not 
his  native  bravery  protected  him,  and  rendered  him 
the  dread  of  his  irreconcilable  foe.  The  race  sus 
tained  itself,  therefore,  much  longer  than  the  Arro- 
wauks,  inhabiting  their  native  islands  in  consider 
able  numbers  in  the  eighteenth  century,  where  yet 
some  of  their  descendants,  miserably  degraded, 
may  possibly  abide.  We  shall  have  occasion  here 
after,  in  the  particular  account  we  propose  of  the 
West  India  Islands,  to  revert  to  their  history. 

XIV.  Of  the  quadrupeds  properly  so  called,  which 
anciently  existed  in  the  West  Indies,  the  Wind 
ward  or  Caribean  islands,  possessed  all  the  species 
found  in  the  larger  islands,  and  some  which,  in  the 
latter,  were  unknown.  All  the  animals  of  the  for 
mer  are  still  found  in  Guiana,  and  few  of  them  in 
North  America;  which  is  an  additional  proof  that 
the  windward  islands  were  anciently  peopled  from 
the  south.  These  animals  were  the  Agouti,  Pe- 
cary,  Armadillo,  Opossum,  Raccoon,  Muskrat,  Alco, 
and  the  smaller  monkey  of  several  varieties.  These 
are  the  most  general  appellations ;  but,  from  the 
variety  of  Indian  dialects,  some  of  these  animals 
have  had  so  many  names,  that  it  is  difficult  to  dis 
tinguish  them  in  the  accounts  of  the  French  and 
Spanish  historians.* 

1.  The  Agouti  is  sometimes  called  Couti  and 
Coati.  It  was  corrupted  into  Uti  and  Utia,  by  the 
Spaniards;  and  at  present  is  known  in  some  parts 

*  1  Edvv.  W.  I.  book  1.  ch.  4. 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  187 

of  the  West  Indies,  by  the  terms  Pucarara  and  In 
dian  Coney.  It  is  the  Mus  Aguti  of  Linnajus,  and 
the  Cavy  of  Pennant  and  Buftbn. 

It  is  of  a  dark  colour,  inclining  to  black,  having 
rough,  light  hair,  which  covers  every  part,  except 
the  tail..  It  has  two  teeth  in  the  upper,  and  as 
many  in  the  lower  jaw,  which  are  as  sharp  as  a  ra 
zor.  It  holds  its  meat  in  the  two  fore  paws,  and  its 
cry  is  like  the  word  Couye^  distinctly  pronounced. 
Compared  with  the  quadrupeds  of  Europe,  it  seems 
to  constitute  an  intermediate  species  between  the 
rabbit  and  the  rat.* 

2.  The   Pecary,  which  was  not  known  in  the 
larger  islands,  bore  as  many  names  as  the  Agouti. 
By  Rochefort  it   was  called  the  Javari  and  Pac- 
quire ;  by  Dampier  Pelas ;  by  Acosta  Saino  and 
Zaino.     It  is  the  Sus  Tajacu  of  Linnaeus,  and  the 
Pecary  and  Mexican  Hog  of  the  English  natural 
ists.  It  is  said  to  abound  still,  in  many  of  the  prov 
inces  of  Mexico ;  but,  in  the  West  India  Islands, 
it  has  been  long  exterminated.     It  differs  from  the 
common  hog,  in  the  singular  circumstance  of  hav 
ing  a  fetid  discharge  from  an  aperture  or  gland  on 
the  back,  erroneously  supposed  to  be  the  navel ; 
and  in  the  colour  of   the  bristles,  which  are  highly 
ornamented,  being  of  pale  blue,  tipt  with  white.    It 
is  said,  also,  to  possess  greater  courage  than  the 
ordinary   hog,   and  when   hunted  by  dogs,  to  turn 
frequently  and  compel  its  enemy  to  retreat.     Its 
native  bravery,  bringing  it  within  the  reach  of  fire 
arms,  contributed,  doubtless,  to  its  final  destruction 
in  the  islands. 

3.  The  Armadillo  was  of  that  species  which  is 
called  the  nine-banded.    It  is  covered  with  a  joint 
ed  shell,  or  scaly  armour,  and  has  the  faculty  of 
rolling  itself  up  like  the  hedge-hog.     The  head 

*  1  Edw.  W.  I.  book  1.  ch.  4.    Rochefort,  book  1.  ch.  11. 


188  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [CH.  3. 

and  snout  are  like  those  of  a  pig ;  with  the  latter, 
and  with  its  paws,  which  are  supplied  with  five 
sharp  claws,  it  obtains  the  roots  upon  which  it 
feeds.  Its  flesh  is  wholesome  and  delicate.  It  is 
sometimes  found  as  large  as  a  fox,  but  ordinarily 
much  less. 

4.  The  Opossum  (or  Manitou)  is  about  the  size 
of  a  large  cat ;  has  a  large  snout,  the  nether  jaw 
shorter  than  the   upper,  as  the   hog;    ears  long, 
broad,  and  straight ;  the  tail  long,  hairless  towards 
the  extremity,  and  turning  downwards ;  the  hair  on 
the  back  is  black  intermingled  with  gray,  and  un 
der  the  belly,  and  about  the  throat,  yellowish.     It 
is  furnished  with  sharp  claws,  by  which  it  easily 
climbs  trees.     Its  ordinary  food  is  birds,  but  it  can 
live  well  on  fruits.     The  female  of  this  animal  is 
distinguished  by  the  wonderful  property  of  having 
a  pouch  under  the  belly,  wherein  she  receives  and 
shelters  her  young. 

5.  The  Raccoon,  as  well  as  the  Opossum,  is  well 
known  in  North  America,  and  was  common  in  Ja 
maica  until  a  late  period,  where  it  was  eaten  by  all 
sorts  of  people.     Its  abode  wras  chiefly  in  hollow 
trees,  whence  it  made  its  path  to  the  cane-fields, 
where  it  chiefly  subsisted ;  a  circumstance  which, 
while  it.  indicates  its  number  to  have  been  consid 
erable,  readily  accounts  for  its  destruction. 

6.  The  Muskrat  is  the  Piloris  of  naturalists ;  it 
burrows  in  the  earth,  and  smells  so  strongly  of 
musk,  that  its  retreat  is  easily  discovered.     They 
abounded  greatly  in  Martinico,   and  other  wind 
ward  islands ;  and  its  resemblance  to  the  common 
rat  of  Europe,  though  four  times  as  large,  probably 
proved  fatal  to  the  whole  race. 

7.  The   Alco  was  the  native  dog  of    the  new 
hemisphere.  It  differed  from  that  of  the  old,  chiefly 
in  not  having  the  power  to  bark.     The  natives  of 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  189 

Hispaniola  fattened  them  with  care,  and  accounted 
their  flesh  a  great  delicacy. 

Of  the  monkey,  and  its  varieties,  it  is  unneces 
sary  to  say  any  thing. 

Of  these  eight  species  of  edible  quadrupeds,  two 
only,  the  first  and  the  last,  are  now  found  in  the 
islands.  The  Agouti  is  still  frequently  seen  in 
Porto  Rico,  Cuba,  and  Hispaniola,  and  sometimes 
in  the  mountains  of  Jamaica.  From  these  sources 
the  supply  of  animal  food  would  have  been  insuf 
ficient  for  the  population  of  the  islands;  but  nature 
furnished  the  inhabitants  with  two  extraordinary 
creatures,  both  of  which  were,  and  still  are,  not 
only  used  as  food,  but  accounted  superior  deli 
cacies.  These  are  the  Iguana  and  the  mountain- 
crab. 

8.  The  Iguana,  commonly  written  Guana,  is  a 
species  of  lizard — a  class  of  animals  about  which 
naturalists  are  not  agreed,  whether  to  rank  them 
with  quadrupeds,  or  to  degrade  them  to  serpents. 
From  the  alligator,  the  most  formidable  of  the  fami 
ly,  measuring  sometimes  twenty  feet  in  length,  the 
gradation  is  regular,  in  diminution  of  size,  to  the 
small  lizard  of  three  inches ;  nearly  the  same 
figure  and  conformation  prevailing  in  each.  The 
Iguana  is  commonly  about  three  feet  long,  and  pro- 
portionably  bulky.  It  lives  chiefly  among  the  fruit 
trees,  and  is  perfectly  gentle  and  innoxious.  They 
take  their  colour,  it  is  said,  from  the  soil  on  which 
they  are  bred,  which  has  given  occasion  to  the 
Portuguese  to  consider  them  a  species  of  the  ca- 
melion.  In  some  islands,  the  females  are  of  a  light 
green,  checkered  with  black  and  white  spots,  and 
the  males  are  gray :  in  others,  the  last  are  black, 
and  the  females  of  a  light  gray,  mixed  with  black 
and  green ;  and  in  some  places,  both  males  and  fe 
males  have  their  scales  so  variegated  and  glittering, 
that  they  look  as  if  clothed  in  cloth  of  silver  and 


190  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [cH.  3. 

gold.  M.  Labat  speaks  of  a  fricassied  Guana  with 
high  approbation  ;  he  compares  it  to  chicken,  for 
the  whiteness  of  its  flesh  and  the  delicacy  of  its 
flavour  ;*  and  he  gives  the  following  minute  ac 
count  of  the  manner  of  catching  it :  "  We  were  at 
tended,"  says  he,  "  by  a  negro,  who  carried  a  long 
rod  ;  at  one  end  of  which  was  a  piece  of  whip-cord 
with  a  running  knot.  After  beating  the  bushes  for 
some  time,  the  negro  discovered  our  game  basking 
in  the  sun  on  the  dry  limb  of  a  tree.  Thereupon 
he  began  whistling  with  all  his  might,  to  which 
the  Guana  was  wonderfully  attentive,  stretching 
out  his  neck,  and  turning  his  head,  as  if  to  enjoy  it 
more  fully.  The  negro  approached  him,  still  whist 
ling,  and  advancing  his  rod  gently,  began  tickling 
with  the  end  of  it  the  sides  and  throat  of  the  Gu 
ana,  who  seemed  much  pleased  with  the  operation, 
for  he  turned  on  his  back,  and  stretched  himself 
out  like  a  cat  before  the  fire,  and  at  length  fairly 
fell  asleep  ;  which  the  negro  perceiving,  dexterous 
ly  slipt  the  noose  over  his  head,  and  with  a  jerk 
brought  him  to  the  ground  ;  and  good  sport  it  af 
forded,  to  see  the  creature  swell  like  a  turkey-cock, 
at  finding  himself  entrapped.  We  caught  others  in 
the  same  way,  and  kept  one  of  them  alive  seven  or 
eight  days ;  but,"  continues  the  reverend  historian, 
"  it  grieved  me  to  the  heart,  to  find  that  he  thereby 
lost  much  delicious  fat." 

XV.  The  Mountain  Crabs  are  among  the  most 
astonishing  wonders  of  nature.  "  These  animals," 
says  Du  Tertre,  "  live  not  only  in  a  kind  of  orderly 
society  in  their  retreats  in  the  mountain,  but  regu 
larly,  once  a  year,  march  down  to  the  sea-side,  in  a 
body  of  some  millions  at  a  time.  As  they  multiply 
in  great  numbers,  they  choose  the  months  of  April 
and  May  to  begin  their  expedition,  and  then  sally 

*  Tom.  3.  p.  315. 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  191 

out  from  the  stumps  of  hollow  trees,  from  the  clefts 
of  rocks,  and  from  the  holes  which  they  dig  for 
themselves  under  the  surface  of  the  earth.  At  that 
time,  the  whole  ground  is  covered  with  this  band 
of  adventurers  ;  there  is  no  setting  down  one's  foot 
without  treading  upon  them.  The  sea  is  their  place 
of  destination,  and  to  that  they  direct  their  march 
with  right-lined  precision.  No  geometrician  could 
send  them  to  their  destined  station  by  a  shorter 
course  ;  they  neither  turn  to  the  right  nor  the 
left,  whatever  obstacles  intervene,  and  even  if  they 
meet  with  a  house,  they  will  attempt  to  scale  the 
walls,  to  keep  the  unbroken  tenor  of  their  way. 
But  though  this  be  the  general  order  of  their  route, 
they,  upon  other  occasions,  are  compelled  to  con 
form  to  the  face  of  the  country,  and  if  it  be  inter 
sected  by  rivers,  they  are  seen  to  wind  along  the 
course  of  the  stream.  The  procession  sets  forward 
from  the  mountains  with  the  regularity  of  an  army 
under  the  guidance  of  an  experienced  commander. 
They  are  commonly  divided  into  battalions,  of 
which  the  first  consists  of  the  strongest  and  boldest 
males,  that,  like  pioneers,  march  forward  to  clear 
the  route  and  face  the  greatest  dangers.  The  night 
is  their  chief  time  of  proceeding,  but  if  it  rains  by 
day,  they  do  not  fail  to  profit  by  the  occasion,  and 
they  continue  to  move  forward  in  their  slow,  uni 
form  manner.  When  the  sun  shines,  and  is  hot 
upon  the  surface  of  the  ground,  they  make  a  uni 
versal  halt,  and  wait  until  the  cool  of  the  evening. 
When  they  are  terrified,  they  march  back  in  a  con 
fused,  disorderly  manner,  holding  up  their  nippers, 
with  which  they  sometimes  tear  off  a  piece  of  the 
skin,  and  leave  the  weapon  where  they  inflicted  the 
wound. 

When,  after  a  fatiguing  march,  and  escaping  a 
thousand  dangers,  for  they  are  sometimes  three 
months  in  getting  to  the  shore,  they  have  arrived 


192  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [cH.  3, 

at  their  destined  port,  they  prepare  to  cast  their 
spawn.  For  this  purpose  the  crab  has  no  sooner 
reached  the  shore,  than  it  eagerly  goes  to  the  edge 
of  the  water,  and  lets  the  waves  wash  over  its  body 
two  or  three  times,  to  take  off  the  spawn.  The 
eggs  are  hatched  under  the  sand  ;  and  soon  after, 
millions  at  a  time  of  the  new-born  crabs  are  seen 
quitting  the  shores,  and  slowly  travelling  up  to  the 
mountains.* 

"  The  old  crabs  having  thus  disburdened  them 
selves,  generally  regain  their  habitations  by  the 
latter  end  of  June.  In  August  they  begin  to  fat 
ten,  and  prepare  for  moulting ;  filling  up  their  bur 
rows  with  dry  grass  and  leaves,  and  abundance  of 
other  materials.  When  the  proper  period  comes, 
each  retires  to  his  hole,  shuts  up  the  passage,  and 
remains  quite  inactive  until  he  gets  rid  of  his  old 
shell,  and  is  fully  provided  with  a  new  one.  How 
long  they  continue  in  this  state  is  uncertain,  but 
the  shell  is  first  observed  to  burst  at  the  back  and 
the  sides,  to  give  a  passage  to  the  body,  and  the 
animal  extracts  its  limbs  from  all  the  other  parts 
gradually  afterwards.  At  this  time  the  flesh  is  in 
the  richest  state,  and  covered  only  with  a  tender 
membranous  skin,  variegated  with  a  multitude  of 
reddish  veins  ;  but  this  hardens  gradually,  and  soon 
becomes  a  perfect  shell,  like  the  former.  It  is,  how 
ever,  remarkable,  that  during  this  change,  there  are 
some  stony  secretions  always  formed  in  the  bag, 
which  waste  and  dissolve,  as  the  creature  forms  and 
perfects  its  new  crust."* 

Many  people,  in  order  to  eat  of  this  singular 
animal  in  the  highest  perfection,  cause  them  to  be 
dug  from  the  earth  in  the  moulting  state ;  but  they 
are  usually  taken  from  the  time  they  begin  to  move 
of  themselves,  until  they  reach  the  sea ;  during 

*  Ercnvne  s  Ilist.  of  Jamaica. 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  193 

this  period  they  are  in  spawn,  and  are  considered 
by  those  who  have  feasted  upon  them  as  one  of  the 
choicest  morsels  in  nature.  The  observation,  there 
fore,  of  Du  Tertre,  is  neither  hyperbolical  nor  ex 
travagant,  when,  speaking  of  the  various  species  of 
this  animal,  he  terms  them  "  a  living  and  perpet 
ual  supply  of  manna  in  the  wilderness,  equalled 
only  by  the  miraculous  bounty  of  Providence  to  the 
children  of  Israel,  when  wandering  in  the  desert." 
"  They  are  a  resource,"  continues  he,  "  to  'which 
the  Indians  have  at  all  times  resort :  for  when  all 
other  provisions  are  scarce,  this  never  fails  them." 
This  profusion  of  animal  food  does  not  now  exist, 
though  this  crab  is  still  found  in  the  larger  islands  ; 
and  Mr.  Edwards  observes,  at  the  time  when  he 
wrote  his  history,  that  its  extinction  was  probably 
at  hand.* 

XVI.  Of  the  serpent  tribe  there  are  many  varie 
ties,  and  some  of  them  very  large,  and  as  thick  as 
a  man's  arm.  But  there  are  few,  if  any,  venomous. 
Some  authors  assert,  that  Martinico  and  St.  Lucia 
have  two  species  that  are  very  poisonous.  But  this 
is  denied  by  Browne,  Charlevoix,  Hughes,  and  Ed 
wards.  The  last  writes,  "  that  during  a  residence 
of  eighteen  years  in  Jamaica,  I  neither  knew  nor 
heard  of  any  person  being  hurt  from  the  bite  of 
any  one  species  of  the  numerous  snakes  or  lizards 
known  in  that  island.  Some  of  the  snakes  I  have 
myself  handled  with  perfect  security.  I  conclude, 
therefore,  (notwithstanding  the  contrary  assertion 
of  Du  Tertre  respecting  Martinico  and  St.  Lucia,) 
that  all  the  islands  are  providentially  exempt  from 
this  evil.  Nevertheless,  it  must  be  admitted,  that 
the  circumstance  is  extraordinary;  inasmuch  as 
every  part  of  the  continent  of  America,  but  espe 
cially  those  provinces  which  lie  under  the  equator, 

*  (1793.)— 1  Edw.  W.  I.  book  1.  ch.  4. 
VOL.  II.  R 


194  HISTORY    OF   AMERICA.  [CH.  3. 

abound  in  a  high  degree  with  serpents,  whose  bite 
is  mortal.* 

XVII.  Of  the  lizard  species,  the  same  author 
says,  "  the  crocodile,  or  alligator,  is  indeed  some 
times  discovered  on  the  banks  of  the  rivers ;  but 
notwithstanding  all  that  has  been  said  of  its  fierce 
and  savage  disposition,  I  pronounce  it,  from  my 
own  knowledge,  a  cautious  and  timid  creature, 
avoiding,  with  the  utmost  precipitation,  the  ap 
proach  of  man.  The  rest  of  the  lizard  kind  are 
perfectly  innocent  and  inoffensive.  Some  of  them 
are  even  fond  of  human  society.  They  embellish 
our  walks  by  their  beauty,  and  court  our  attention 
by  gentleness  and  frolic ;  but  their  kindness,  I  know 
not  why,  is  returned  by  aversion  and  disgust."f 

We  have  already  spoken  of  the  Guana,  and  will 
notice  here  two  other  remarkable  species  of  the 
lizard.  The  Gobe  Mouche,  or  Fly-Catcher,  so 
called  from  their  ordinary  exercise,  are  the  least  of 
the  reptiles  in  the  islands.  They  are  in  figure  like 
those  called  in  France  and  Italy  Stellions.  Some 
seem  covered  with  gold  and  silver  brocade  ;  others 
with  a  mixture  of  green  and  gold,  and  other  de 
lightful  colours.  They  are  perfectly  harmless,  and 
so  familiar,  that  they  boldly  enter  the  dwelling- 
houses  in  search  of  their  prey,  which  they  pursue 
with  much  nimbleness  and  dexterity  :  they  will  even 
run  upon  the  table  when  spread  for  meals,  and  upon 
the  persons  of  those  sitting  round  it,  who  suffer  this 
freedom  on  account  of  the  beauty  and  cleanliness 
of  the  animal.  In  the  night,  they  bear  a  part  in 
the  concert  of  the  Anolis,  and  other  small  lizards. 
To  propagate  their  species,  they  lay  eggs  as  big  as 
peas,  which,  having  covered  with  earth,  they  leave 
to  be  hatched  by  the  sun.  When  killed,  which  is 
easily  done,  by  reason  of  their  attention  in  pursuit 

*  1  Edw.  W.  I.  book  1.  ch.  1  tlbid, 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  195 

of  their  game,  they  immediately  lose  their  lustre  ; 
the  gold  and  azure,  and  all  the  sparkling  beauty  of 
their  skin  vanishes,  and  they  become  pale  and 
earthy. 

Like  the  chamelion,  they  readily  take  the  colour 
ing  of  the  substance  on  which  they  dwell.  Those 
on  the  palm-tree  are  green,  like  its  leaves ;  on  the 
orange-tree  they  are  yellow,  as  its  fruit;  nay,  it  is 
said,  that  some  who  frequented  a  chamber,  in  which 
was  a  bed  with  curtains  of  changeable  taffeta,  had 
young  ones  whose  bodies  were  enamelled  with 
colours  corresponding  with  those  of  the  furniture.* 

Another  species  of  the  lizard  has  been  called 
the  land-pike,  from  its  likeness  in  figure,  skin,  and 
head,  to  the  fish  of  that  name.  It  is  not  more  than 
fifteen  inches  in  length ;  has  four  feet  so  short  and 
weak,  that  it  can  only  crawl  along  the  ground ;  its 
skin  is  covered  with  small  shining  scales  of  a  sil 
ver-gray  colour.  It  dwells  among  rocks,  and  hol 
low  places  ;  and  in  the  night-time  makes  a  hideous 
noise,  more  sharp  and  grating  to  the  ear  than  that 
of  frogs.  It  is  commonly  seen  in  the  evening  only ; 
and  its  motion  being  somewhat  like  that  of  the  ser 
pent,  is  apt  to  frighten  the  unwary  beholder.f 

XVIII.  1.  Scorpions  are  common  in  the  islands, 
similar  to  those  in  the  south  of  Europe,  and  in  Af 
rica,  but  they  are  not  so  venomous. 

2.  There  are  here  also  remarkable  insects. 
Snails  abound  called  Soldiers,  from  their  instinct 
in  seeking  a  habitation  in  the  shells  of  other  ani 
mals,  having  none  peculiar  to  themselves.  They 
are  usually  found  in  the  shells  of  Periwinkles,  and 
other  fish  cast  up  by  the  sea.  They  are  armed  each 
with  a  claw,  somewhat  like  that  of  a  crab,  with 
which  they  fasten  so  firmly  on  what  they  seize,  as 
either  to  take  out  the  piece, -or  to  leave  the  claw, 

*  Davies'  Hist,  of  the  Carib.  lib.  1.  chap.  13.  t  Ibid 


196  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [CH.  3. 

when  forced  away  ;  with  this  weapon  also  they  con 
tend  with  each  other  for  a  favourite  dwelling.  They 
move  faster  than  the  common  snail,  and  leave  no 
slimy  trail  behind  them. 

3.  Several  species  of  fire-flies  give  a  magical 
brilliancy  to  the  night ;  among  which  the  Cucuyos 
is  most  distinguished.  It  is  the  size  of,  and  not 
much  unlike  the  locust,  dark  in  colour ;  and  has 
two  hard  and  strong  wings,  beneath  which  are  two 
lesser  and  membranous  ones,  visible  only  when  it 
flies.  It  emits  a  vivid  light,  from  a  globular  promi 
nence  near  each  eye,  and  from  its  sides,  in  the  act 
of  respiration.  This  light  is  so  strong,  that  we  are 
told  the  Indians  were  glad  to  have  the  insects  in 
their  cabins  to  serve  them  as  lamps,  and  that  it  is 
sufficient  to  enable  one  to  write  and  read.  A  Span 
ish  historian  relates  that  the  natives  of  Hispaniola 
used  these  flies,  fastened  to  their  hands  and  feet, 
as  torches  to  hunt  by  in  the  night ;  and  that  in  their 
nocturnal  dances,  they  rubbed  their  naked  bodies 
with  the  phosphoric  matter,  which  gave  them  the 
appearance  of  demons  covered  with  flames. 

These  flies  are  easily  taken  in  the  night,  by  turn 
ing  a  lighted  stick  in  the  air,  which  they  immedi 
ately  approach,  and  may  be  then  readily  struck 
down.  They  entirely  disappear  during  the  day. 

Mons.  du  Mantel  gives  the  following  descrip 
tion  of  them,  in  a  letter  to  a  friend  :  "  When  in  the 
island  of  Hispaniola,  I  have  often,  in  the  begin 
ning  of  the  night,  walked  about  our  huts  to  ob 
serve  these  little  wandering  stars.  It  was  most 
pleasant  to  see  them  about  those  great  trees  which 
bear  a  kind  of  figs,  sometimes  obscured  by  the 
thick  boughs,  so  that  their  light  came  to  us  in  oc 
casional  gleams,  and  at  other  times  in  full  radiance  ; 
or  to  behold  them  on  the  adjacent  orange-trees, 
which  they  seemed  to  set  on  fire,  gilding  those 
beautiful  fruits,  enamelling  their  flowers,  and  giv- 


Ctt.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  197 

ing  such  lustre  to  their  leaves,  that  their  naturally 
delightful  verdure  was  extremely  increased  by  the 
pleasant  combination  of  so  many  lights.  I  wished 
myself  at  that  time  the  art  of  painting,  that  I  might 
represent  a  night  enlightened,  and  as  it  were  turned 
into  day  by  so  many  fires,  and  so  pleasant  and  lu 
minous  a  landscape.  Think  it  not  much  that  I  am 
so  long  about  the  story  of  a  fly,  since  Du  Bartas 
sometimes  gave  it  a  place  among  the  birds,  and  in 
the  fifth  day  of  his  first  week  speaks  very  nobly  of 
it  in  these  terms : 

1  New  Spain's  Cucuyo  in  his  forehead  brings 
Two  burning  lamps,  two  underneath  his  wings  ; 
Whose  shining  rays  serve  oft  in  darkest  night, 
The  embroiderer's  hand  in  royal  works  to  light: 
Th'  ingenious  turner,  with  a  wakeful  eye, 
To  polish  fair  his  purest  ivory  ; 
The  usurer  to  count  his  glistering  treasures; 
The  learned  scribe  to  limn  his  golden  measures.' 

"  If  five  or  six  of  these  flies  were  put  into  a  ves 
sel  of  fine  crystal,  no  doubt  the  light  of  them  would 
be  answerable  to  the  poet's  description,  and  be  a 
living  and  incomparable  torch."* 

We  have  heard  of  English  ladies  at  Calcutta, 
where  fire-flies  of  a  less  size  abound,  who  have 
used  them  as  ball-room  ornaments  in  a  way  not  less 
fanciful  than  ingenious.  They  inclosed  them  in 
small  pods  of  fine  shear-muslin,  which  they  fasten 
ed  to  their  hair  and  dress,  and  thus  moved  in  a  blaze 
of  living  brilliants. 

4.  There  are  also  some  large  insects  called  Pha 
langes,  of  singular  and  diversified  forms.  Some 
have  two  snouts,  like  the  proboscis  of  an  elephant, 
one  turning  upwards,  the  other  downwards.  Some 
have  three  horns;  one  rising  from  the  back,  the 
others  from  the  head,  which,  like  the  body,  is  of 
jet  shining  black.  Others  have  one  great  horn, 

*  Davies'  Hist.  Carib.  lib.  1.  ch.  14. 
R2 


198  HISTORY   OP   AMERICA.  [cH.  3. 

about  five  inches  in  length,  much  after  the  fashion 
of  a  woodcock's  bill,  very  smooth  on  the  upper 
side,  and  downy  on  the  lower,  which,  rising  from 
the  back,  reaches  in  a  direct  line  to  the  head,  on 
which  is  another,  like  that  of  the  horned  beetle, 
black  as  ebony,  and  transparent  as  glass.  This  va 
riety  has  the  body  of  the  colour  of  a  withered  leaf, 
smooth  and  flourishing  like  damask ;  large,  yellow, 
and  firm  eyes,  a  wide  mouth,  and  teeth  like  a  saw. 
The  traveller  last  above  quoted,  describes  one  of 
these  flies  as  about  three  inches  in  length;  the 
head  azure,  not  unlike  that  of  a  grasshopper,  save 
that  the  eyes  were  green  as  an  emerald,  and  sur 
rounded  by  a  small  streak  of  white  :  the  upper  side 
of  the  wings  of  a  bright  violet  colour,  damasked 
with  several  compartments  of  carnation,  divided 
and  relieved  by  a  natural  thread  of  silver,  and  dis 
posed  with  beautiful  symmetry.  The  nether  part 
of  the  body  is  of  the  colour  of  the  head,  and  has 
six  black  feet.  When  the  outer  wings  were  ex 
panded,  there  appeared  beneath  two  others,  thinner 
than  silk,  and  of  a  deep  scarlet  colour.* 

5.  Among  the  spiders,  there  is  a  species  remark 
able  for  monstrous  size  and  figure,  being  so  great, 
that  when  the  legs  are  spread  abroad,  they  take  up 
a  larger  space  than  the  palm  of  a  man's  hand.  The 
body  consists  of  two  parts,  whereof  one  is  flat; 
and  the  other,  round,  small  at  one  end  like  a  pige 
on's  egg.  They  have  a  hole  in  the  back ;  the  mouth 
cannot  be  easily  discerned,  being  covered  with 
hair,  of  a  light  gray,  sometimes  mixed  with  red. 
They  are  armed  with  two  sharp  tushes,  of  a  solid 
substance,  and  black  colour,  so  smooth  and  shining 
that  some  curious  persons  have  them  set  in  gold 
for  tooth-picks ;  which  are  much  esteemed  by  those 
who  fancy  them  possessed  of  virtue  to  prevent  pain. 

*  Davies'  Carib.  M.  lib.  c.  14. 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH   DISCOVERIES.  199 

When  grown,  they  are  covered  with  a  swarthy 
down,  soft  and  close  as  velvet ;  and  are  supported 
by  ten  feet,  which  issue  from  the  fore-part  of  the 
body,  hairy,  four-jointed,  and  armed  with  claws. 
They  cast  their  skins  yearly,  and  the  exuvia  pre 
sents  the  perfect  figure  of  the  animal.  They  feed 
on  flies,  and  their  webs  are  so  strong  that  small 
birds  have  difficulty  to  escape,  when  entangled  in 
them.* 

6.  The  insect  called  the  Jly ing  tiger,  receives  its 
name,  because  its  body  is  chequered  with  spots, 
like  that  of  the  forest  tyrant.  It  is  of  the  size  of 
the  horned  beetle ;  the  head  is  sharp,  in  which  are 
set  two  large  eyes,  green  and  sparkling  as  an  eme 
rald  ;  it  is  also  furnished  with  two  strong  and  sharp 
hooks,  with  which  it  holds  its  prey  whilst  it  feeds 
upon  it.  The  body  is  covered  with  a  hard  and 
swarthy  crust,  which  serves  for  armour;  beneath 
the  outer  wings,  which  are  also  of  a  solid  matter, 
are  four  lesser  ones,  thin  and  transparent.  It  has 
six  legs,  each  with  three  joints,  and  set  thick  with 
bristles.  During  the  day,  it  is  incessantly  employ 
ed  in  catching  other  insects,  and  at  night  pours 
from  the  trees  a  song  like  the  Cigale.f 

XIX.  In  addition  to  these  productions  of  the 
land,  the  woods,  the  marshes,  and  the  coast,  abound 
with  wild  fowl,  of  great  variety  and  excellent 
flavour.  We  shall  notice  such  only  as  are  re 
markable  for  richness  of  plumage,  or  peculiarity  of 
form  or  habits. 

1.  As  the  voyager  approaches  the  islands,  he  is 
greeted  even  at  a  great  distance  by  a  species  of 
bird  to  which  the  French  have  given  the  name  of 
Frigates,  on  account  of  the  length  and  lightness 
of  their  flight.  Their  bodies  are  of  the  size  of  a 
drake's,  but  their  wings  much  larger ;  the  feathers 

*  Davies'  Carib.  Isl.  lib.  c.  14.  t  Ibid. 


SOO  HISTORY    OF   AMERICA.  [ctt.  3, 

on  the  back  are  sometimes  black,  at  others  gray ; 
the  belly  and  wings  commonly  white.  They  feed 
on  fish,  which  they  catch  with  great  ease  and  dex 
terity,  as  in  their  rapid  and  graceful  flight  they 
skim  the  wave.  To  the  flying-fish  they  are  fatal 
enemies.  They  watch  his  egress  from  the  water, 
and  seize  him  almost  before  he  has  left  it.  Most 
probably  these  birds  marshalled  Columbus  the  road 
to  the  discovery. 

2.  The  Flamingo  has  a  body  in  form  and  size 
similar  to  the  wild  goose,  with  long  neck,  and  legs 
which  raise  it  three  feet  from  the  ground.     When 
full  grown  and  of  mature  age,  its  colour  is  a  bright 
carnation,  and  the  wings  sometimes  variegated  with 
black  and  white  feathers.     It  is  a  gregarious  bird, 
and  has  the  senses  of  hearing  and  smelling  very 
acute,  so  that  it  is  difficult  to  approach  it.     To 
avoid  surprize,  the  flocks  keep  in  the  midst  of  fens, 
whence  they  may  at  a  great  distance  perceive  their 
enemies.     One  of  the  party  is  always  on  guard, 
whilst  the  rest  are  engaged  in  seeking  food.  When 
the  huntsmen  of  Hispaniola  would  kill  some  of 
these  birds,  which  are  there  very  common,  they 
take  the  wind  of  them,  cover  themselves  with  an 
ox-hide,  and  creep  on  their  hands  and  feet  until 
they  reach  a  spot  whence  they  may  be  sure  to  kill. 
The  birds,  accustomed  to  see  the  wild  oxen  come 
from  the  mountains  to  the  watering-places  below, 
are  readily  deceived  by  this  wile.     They  are  ordi 
narily  fat,  and  accounted  delicate  food.  The  skins, 
which  are  covered  with  soft  down,  are  rendered 
precious  by  their  beautiful  colouring. 

3.  Among  the  other  water-fowl  of  the  islands, 
may   be   enumerated    Geese,   a   great   variety  of 
Ducks,  Moor-hens,  Plover,  Craw-fowls,  &c. 

4.  Of  land-fowl  we  may  mention  Turkeys,  seve 
ral  species  of  the  Wild-cock  and  Pheasants,  which, 
on  account  of  their  beautiful  plumage,  are  called 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH   DISCOVERIES.  201 

Pintadoes;  Partridges,  Turtles,  Ravens,  Wood 
peckers,  Blackbirds,  Thrushes,  Parrots  of  many 
species,  Ortolans,  and  the  wonderful  Colibri,  or 
Humming-bird.  We  shall  remark  only  on  the  three 
last. 

5.  Either  the  beauty  or  loquacious  faculty  of 
the  parrot,  has  made  the  whole  genus  familiarly 
known,  from  the  small,  simple,  and  uniform-colour 
ed  Paraquito,  to  the  large,  glaring,  gaudy,  and 
screaming  Mackaw.  There  are  two  varieties  of 
this  bird  that  are  particularly  noticed  by  Rochefort, 
and  are  called  by  him  the  Arras  and  the  Canides, 
which  may  be  properly  described  here. 

The  first  are  as  large  as  the  pheasant,  having  a 
big  head,  sprightly  and  stedfast  eyes,  crooked  beak, 
and  a  long  tail  of  very  fine  feathers  of  several  col 
ours.  Some  have  the  head,  the  upper  part  of  the 
neck,  and  the  back,  of  a  bright  sky-colour;  the 
belly,  the  lower  part  of  the  neck,  and  the  wings,  of 
a  pale  yellow  ;  and  the  tail  all  red.  Others  have 
almost  all  the  body  of  a  flame-colour,  and  the  wings 
variegated  with  yellow,  azure,  and  red.  Others, 
again,  have  all  their  parts  diversified  with  red, 
blue,  green,  and  black.  They  commonly  fly  in 
flocks  ;  are  either  very  bold  and  daring,  or  extreme 
ly  stupid,  for  they  are  not  startled  at  the  discharge 
of  a  gun,  and  if  not  hurt  by  the  first  shot,  will 
await  a  second.  They  are  easily  tamed,  and  may 
be  taught  to  speak,  but  their  tongues  are  too  thick 
to  do  it  so  plainly  as  the  other  kinds  of  parrots. 

The  Canides  is  much  of  the  size  of  the  Arras, 
but  of  a  more  beautiful  plumage,  and  distinguished 
for  its  gentle  disposition,  its  capacity  and  powers 
of  speech.  The  following  description  of  an  indi 
vidual  is  taken  from  Rochefort.  "  It  deserves  to 
be  numbered,"  says  he,  "  among  the  most  beautiful 
birds  in  the  world.  I  took  so  particular  notice  of 
it,  having  had  them  in  my  hands  many  times,  that 


202  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [cil.  3» 

I  have  the  ideas  of  it  still  fresh  in  my  memory. 
Under  the  belly,  wings,  and  neck,  it  was  of  a  wav 
ing  aurora  colour  ;  the  back,  and  one-half  the  wings, 
of  a  very  bright  sky  colour ;  the  tail,  and  greater 
feathers  of  the  wing,  were  mixed  with  a  sparkling 
carnation,  diversified  with  a  sky  colour  as  upon  the 
back,  a  grass-green,  and  a  shining  black,  which 
very  much  added  to  the  gold  and  azure  of  the  other 
plumage.  But  the  most  beautiful  part  was  the 
head,  covered  with  a  murey  down,  chequered  with 
green,  yellow,  and  pale  blue,  which  reached  down 
wavingly  to  the  back ;  the  eyelids  were  white,  and 
the  apple  of  the  eye  yellow  and  red,  as  a  ruby  set 
in  gold.  It  had  upon  the  head  a  certain  tuft  or  cap 
of  feathers  of  a  vermilion  red,  sparkling  like  a 
lighted  coal,  which  was  encompassed  by  several 
other  lesser  feathers  of  a  pearl  colour." 

"  He  spoke  the  Dutch,  Spanish,  and  Indian  lan 
guages,  and  in  the  last  sung  airs  as  a  natural  In 
dian.  He  also  imitated  the  cries  of  all  sorts  of 
poultry,  and  other  creatures  about  the  house ; 
he  called  all  his  friends  by  their  names  and  sur 
names  ;  flew  to  them  as  soon  as  he  saw  them,  es 
pecially  if  he  were  hungry.  If  they  had  been  ab 
sent,  and  he  had  not  seen  them  for  a  long  time, 
he  expressed  his  joy  at  their  return  by  certain 
merry  notes;  when  he  had  sported  himself  until 
they  were  weary  of  him,  he  went  away  and  perched 
himself  on  the  top  of  the  house,  and  there  he  talk 
ed  and  sung,  and  played  a  thousand  tricks,  laying 
his  feathers  in  order,  and  dressing  and  cleaning 
himself  with  his  beak.  He  was  easily  kept,  for  not 
only  the  bread  commonly  used  in  the  island,  (Cura- 
coa,)  but  all  the. fruits  and  roots  growing  there, 
were  his  ordinary  food  ;  and  when  he  had  more 
given  him  than  he  needed,  he  carefully  laid  up  the 
remainder,  under  the  leaves  wherewith  the  house 
was  covered,  and  took  it  when  he  wanted.  Jn  q, 


CH.  3^]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  203 

word,  I  never  saw  a  more  loving  or  more  amiable 
bird  :  it  was  a  present  for  any  prince,  if  it  could 
have  been  brought  over  the  sea.  It  was  origin 
ally  brought  from  the  Carib  islands  to  Curacoa." 

6.  The  most  delicious  bird  in  the  West  Indies, 
for  the  table,  is  the  Ortolan,  or  October  Bird.     It 
is  the  Emberiza  Oryzivora  of  Linnaeus,  or  Rice- 
bird  of  South  Carolina,  and  is  known  on  the  Chesa 
peake  and  Delaware  bays  as  the  Reed-bird.     They 
are  accounted  birds  of  passage  in  North  America, 
as  well  as  in  the  West  Indies.      They  arrive  in 
Carolina,  and  on  the  waters  of  the  middle  states,  in 
September,  to  feed  on  the  rice  and  the  seeds  of  the 
reed,  and  they  retire  from  the  former  in  about  three 
weeks,  when  the  rice  begins  to  harden  ;  and  from 
the  latter  with  the  first  frost.    In  October  they  visit 
Jamaica,  and  the  other  islands,  to  feed  on  the  seeds 
of  the  guinea-grass.     At  their  first  arrival  at  either 
of  these  places,  they  are  thin  and  scarce  edible,  but 
in  a  few  days  they  become  very  fat  and  delicious. 

7.  A  bird  not  so  big  as  the  end  of  one's  little 
finger  might  be  supposed  a  mere  creature  of  im 
agination,  were  it  not  seen  in  infinite  numbers  and 
great  variety,  and  as  common  as  butterflies  on  a 
summer's  day,  sporting  in  the  fields  of  America, 
from  flower  to  flower,  extracting  their  sweets  with 
its  little  bill. 

The  smallest  humming-bird  is  about  the  size  of 
a  hazel-nut.  The  feathers  of  its  wings  and  tail  are 
black ;  but  those  on  its  body  and  under  its  wings 
are  of  a  greenish  brown,  with  a  fine  red  cast  or 
gloss,  which  no  silk  or  velvet  can  imitate.  It  has 
a  small  crest  on  its  head,  green  at  the  bottom,  and, 
as  it  were,  gilded  at  the  top,  and  which  sparkles  in 
the  sun  like  a  little  star  in  the  middle  of  its  fore 
head.  The  bill  is  black,  straight,  and  slender,  and 
of  the  length  of  a  small  pin.  The  larger  kinds  are 
nearly  half  as  big  as  the  common  wren,  and  are  va- 


204  HISTORY   OF   AMERICA.  [cH.  3. 

riously  decorated,  but  all  remarkable  for  the  extra 
ordinary  splendour  and  agreeable  contrasts  of  their 
plumage. 

It  is  inconceivable  how  much  these  add  to  the 
high  finish  and  beauty  of  a  rich,  luxurious  western 
landscape.  As  soon  as  the  sun  is  risen,  the  hum 
ming-birds  of  different  kinds  are  seen  fluttering 
about  the  flowers,  without  ever  lighting  upon  them. 
Their  wings  are  in  such  rapid  motion,  that  it  is  im 
possible  to  discern  their  colours,  except  by  their 
glittering.  They  are  never  still,  but  continually  in 
motion,  visiting  flower  after  flower,  and  extracting 
its  honey  as  if  with  a  kiss.  For  this  purpose  they 
are  furnished  with  a  forked  tongue,  that  enters  the 
cup  of  the  flower,  and  extracts  its  nectared  tribute. 
Upon  this  they  alone  subsist.  The  rapid  motion 
of  their  wings  has  a  humming  sound,  whence 
they  have  their  name. 

Their  nests  are  not  less  curious  than  their  plu 
mage.  They  are  about  the  size  and  shape  of  a  hen's 
egg  cut  in  two,  of  cotton,  fine  moss,  and  fibres  of 
vegetables,  and  warmly  lined  with  very  fine  cotton 
or  other  vegetable  down.  They  are  suspended  in 
the  air  on  the  remote  branches  of  the  trees,  and 
carefully  concealed  beneath  the  foliage.  The  hen 
lays  two  eggs  at  a  time,  and  never  more,  about  the 
size  of  small  peas,  very  white,  and  sparsely  spec 
kled  with  yellow.  During  incubation,  which  con 
tinues  twelve  days,  she  never  leaves  the  nest,  ex 
cept  for  a  short  time,  morning  and  evening,  to  take 
food.  Her  absence  is  supplied  by  the  male ;  for, 
as  the  egg  is  so  small,  a  short  exposure  to  the  at 
mosphere  would  injure  its  contents.  The  young, 
when  hatched,  are  of  the  size  of  a  blue-bottled  fly. 

In  the  warm  parts  of  America,  where  flowers  are 
constantly  found,  these  birds  flutter  all  the  year 
round  ;  but  in  other  parts,  they  appear  only  during 
the  summer.  It  is  doubtful  whether  they  have  a 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  205 

continued  note.  All  travellers  agree,  that,  beside 
the  humming  noise  produced  by  their  wings,  they 
have  a  little  interrupted  chirrup;  but  Labat  as 
serts,  that  they  have  a  pleasing  melancholy  melody 
in  their  voices,  though  small,  and  proportioned  to 
the  organs  which  produce  it.  The  Indians  formerly 
made  great  use  of  the  plumage  of  this  bird  in  adorn 
ing  themselves,  and  some  European  ladies  have  not 
disdained  to  set  off  their  beauty  by  ear-pendants 
made  of  it. 

8.  The  Indians  practised  an  ingenious  mode  for 
taking  water-fowl,  which  is  in  use  among  the  peo 
ple  of  the  East,  particularly  the  Chinese,  at  the 
present  day.  In  the  ponds  where  these  birds  re 
sort,  they  throw  calabashes,  with  which  they  soon 
grow  familiar.  The  sportsman  having  adapted  one 
of  these  gourds  to  his  head,  with  apertures  for  the 
sight  and  the  breath,  cautiously  entered  the  water, 
either  gently  swimming,  or  walking  where  the 
stream  was  shallow,  with  his  head  only  above  the 
water,  until  he  got  among  the  fowl,  when,  seizing 
one  at  a  time  by  the  feet,  and  dragging  it  by  a  sud 
den  jerk  under  the  surface,  he  fastened  it  to  his 
girdle,  and  thus  loaded  himself  with  as  many  as  he 
could  carry  away,  without  alarming  the  rest. 

XX.  The  sea  and  the  rivers,  as  well  as  the  air 
and  earth,  poured  forth  abundant  treasures  for  the 
sustenance  of  man,  in  a  vast  variety  of  excellent 
fish  and  amphibious  animals,  which  the  Indians  of 
the  coast  were  very  expert  in  taking.  We  shall 
notice  particularly  here,  the  Remora,  the  Manati, 
and  the  Turtle. 

1.  The  Remora  received  that  name  from  the 
French,  from  sticking  to  the  ship  as  if  it  would  stop 
her  course.  It  was  called  by  the  natives  Guaycan, 
and  by  the  Spaniards  Reverso,  because  it  is  com 
monly  caught  hanging  by  the  back  on  sharks  and 

VOL.  II.  S 


208  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [dl.   3, 

other  fish.*  It  is  about  two  feet  in  length,  and 
proportionably  large :  has  no  scales,  but  is  covered 
with  an  ash-coloured  skin,  which  is  as  glutinous  as 
that  of  an  eel.  The  upper  jaw  is  little  shorter  than 
the  lower;  instead  of  teeth  it  has  little  risings, 
strong  enough  to  break  what  it  would  swallow. 
The  eyes  are  very  small,  of  a  yellow  colour.  It  has 
fins,  and  a  certain  plume,  as  some  other  sea-fishes 
have ;  but  what  is  most  remarkable,  it  has  on  the 
head  an  oval  piece  like  a  crown,  which  is  flat  arid 
streaked  above  with  several  lines,  which  make  it 
look  bristly.  By  this  part  the  fish  adheres  tena 
ciously  to  the  object  to  which  it  attaches  itself. 

"  The  Indians  employed  the  Remora"  says  Ovi- 
edo,  "  as  falconers  employed  hawks.  It  was  kept 
for  this  purpose,  and  properly  fed.  The  owner,  on 
a  calm  morning,  carried  it  out  to  sea,  secured  to 
his  canoe  by  a  small  but  strong  line,  many  fathoms 
in  length ;  and  the  moment  it  sees  a  fish  in  the 
water,  though  at  a  great  distance,  it  starts  away 
with  the  swiftness  of  an  arrow,  and  soon  fastens 
upon  it.  The  Indian,  in  the  mean  time,  loosens  and 
lets  go  the  line,  which  is  provided  with  a  buoy  that 
keeps  on  the  surface  of  the  sea,  and  serves  to  mark 
the  course  which  the  Remora  has  taken,  and  he 
pursues  it  in  his  canoe  until  he  conceives  his  game 
to  be  nearly  exhausted  and  run  down.  He  then, 
taking  up  the  buoy,  gradually  draws  the  line  to 
wards  the  shore ;  the  Remora  still  adhering  with 
inflexible  tenacity  to  its  prey,  and  it  is  with  great 
difficulty  that  it  is  made  to  quit  its  hold."  It  is 
said,  the  reader  may  believe  it  or  not,  that  the  Tur 
tle  and  the  Manati  were  both  taken  in  this  man- 
ner.f 

2.  The  Manati,  called  by  the  French  Lamantiji, 

*  P.  Martyr,  Dec.  1.  lib.  3.    Munoz,  lib.  5. 
t  Oviedo.    Herrera.    P.  Martyr,  Dec.  1.  lib.  2.    1  Edw.  W.  I. 
book  1.  ch.  4. 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  207 

and  by  the  British  sailors  the  Sea-cow,  though  now 
scarce  on  the  shores  of  the  West  Indies,  is  still 
caught  there.  It  is  commonly  from  ten  to  eighteen 
feet  long,  huge  and  unwieldy,  and  weighs  from 
twelve  to  fifteen  hundred  weight.  The  head  has 
some  resemblance  to  that  of  a  cow.  It  has  small 
eyes,  and  a  thick  skin  of  a  dark  colour,  wrink 
led  in  some  places,  and  thinly  covered  with  hair, 
which  was  sometimes  used  by  the  Indians  as  a 
buckler.  Instead  of  fins,  it  has  under  the  belly 
two  short  feet,  furnished  with  four  fingers  each,  and 
apparently  too  weak  to  sustain  so  heavy  a  body.  It 
does  not  quit  the  water,  but  lives  on  the  grass  and 
herbage  which  grows  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea. 
The  female  is  disburthened  of  her  young  much 
after  the  manner  of  cows,  and  has  two  teats,  where 
with  she  suckles  them.  She  brings  forth  two  calves 
at  a  time,  which  do  not  forsake  the  old  one  until 
they  no  longer  require  milk,  and  can  feed  on  the 
grass  as  she  does.  Acosta,  who  was  a  good  Catho 
lic,  says  this  animal  was  excellent  food,  but  he  adds, 
"I  scrupled  to  eat  it  on  Friday,  being  doubtful 
whether  it  was  flesh  or  Jish." 

P.  Martyr  relates,  that  one  of  these  animals  had 
been  taken  whilst  young,  and  placed  in  a  lake  of 
Hispaniola,  by  a  native  Cacique,  where  it  became 
exceeding  tame,  grew  to  great  bulk,  and  lived 
twenty-five  years.  The  reader  will  not  object  to 
Martyr's  account,  as  given  in  the  translation  of 
Eden.  "The  king  nourished  this  fish, certain  days, 
at  home,  with  the  bread  of  the  country,  made  of  the 
root  of  Yucca  and  Panycke,  with  such  other  roots 
as  men  are  accustomed  to  eat.  Whatsoever  is 
written  of  the  delphines  of  Baian  or  Arion,  is  much 
inferior  to  the  doings  of  this  fish  ;  which,  for  her 
gentle  nature,  they  named  Matum,  that  is,  gentle 
or  noble.  Therefore,  whensoever  any  of  the  king's 
familiars,  especially  such  as  are  known  to  her,  re- 


208  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [cH.  3. 

sort  to  the  banks  of  the  lake,  and  call  Matum,  Ma- 
turn,  then  she,  (as  mindful  of  such  benefits  as  she 
hath  received  of  men,)  lifteth  up  her  head,  and 
cometh  to  the  place  whither  she  is  called,  and 
there  receiveth  meat  at  the  hands  of  such  as  feed 
her.  If  any,  desirous  to  pass  over  the  lake,  make 
signs  and  tokens  of  their  intent,  she  boweth  herself 
to  them,  therewith,  as  it  were,  gently  inviting  them 
to  amount  upon  her,  and  conveyeth  them  safely- 
over.  It  hath  been  seen,  that  this  monstrous  fish 
hath,  at  one  time,  safely  carried  over  ten  men, 
singing  and  playing.  But  if  by  chance,  when  she 
lifted  her  head,  she  espied  any  of  the  Christian 
men,  she  would  immediately  plunge  down  again 
into  the  water,  and  refuse  to  obey,  because  she  had 
once  received  injury  at  the  hands  of  a  certain  wan 
ton  young  man  among  the  Christians,  who  had  cast 
a  sharp  dart  at  her,  although  she  were  not  hurt,  by 
reason  of  the  hardness  of  her  skin,  being  rough, 
and  full  of  scales  and  knobs.  Yet,  did  she  bear  in 
memory  the  injury  she  had  sustained,  with  so  gen 
tle  a  revenge,  requiting  the  ingratitude  of  him, 
which  had  dealt  with  her  so  ungently.  From  that 
day,  whensoever  she  was  called  by  any  of  her  fa 
miliars,  she  would  at  first  look  circumspectly  about 
her,  lest  any  were  present  apparelled  after  the 
manner  of  the  Christians.  She  would  oftentimes 
play  and  wrestle  upon  the  bank,  with  the  king's 
chamberlains ;  and  especially  with  a  young  man 
whom  the  king  favoured  well,  being  also  accus 
tomed  to  feed  her.  She  would  be  sometimes  as 
pleasant  and  full  of  play,  as  if  it  had  been  a  mon 
key  or  marmoset;  and  was  of  long  time  a  great 
comfort  and  solace  to  the  whole  island.  For  no 
small  confluence,  as  well  of  the  Christians  as  of 
the  inhabitants,  had  daily  concourse,  to  behold  so 
strange  a  miracle  of  nature ;  the  contemplation 
whereof  was  no  less  pleasant  than  wonderful.  But, 


CH.  3*]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  209 

at  length,  this  pleasant  playfellow  was  lost,  and 
carried  into  the  sea,  by  the  overflowing  of  a  great 
river  which  passed  through  the  lake."*  This  won 
derful  fish  story,  we  think,  is  to  be  ranked  among 
the  many  fables  connected  with  the  New  World, 
which  amused  the  people  of  Europe,  the  learned 
as  well  as  the  unlearned,  for  a  long  time  after  the 
discovery. 

3.  The  inhabitants  of  most  seaports  of  Europe, 
whence  trade  is  carried  on  with  the  West  Indies, 
are  familiar  with  the  sight  and  taste  of  the  turtle  of 
this  part  of  the  globe,  and  are  prepared  to  bear  tes 
timony  to  its  excellence  as  food.  We  allude  spe 
cially  to  that  species  called  by  the  French  Tortue 
Franclic ;  and  by  the  English  and  Americans, 
Green  Turtle. f  There  are,  however,  two  other 
species  in  the  American  seas,  which  are  almost  as 
unwholesome  as  that  of  the  Mediterranean  and  the 
coasts  of  Europe,  and  are  chiefly  valuable  for  their 
shells.  The  Green  Turtle  is  taken  of  various  sizes, 
up  to  eight  hundred  weight.  They  are  commonly 
found  of  four  feet  and  a  half  in  length,  and  four 
feet  in  breadth.  Dampier  speaks  of  one  taken  at 
Port  Royal,  in  Jamaica,  that  was  six  feet  broad 
across  the  back;  and  says  that  a  boy  about  ten 
years  of  age  sailed  in  the  shell  as  in  a  boat,  from 
the  shore  to  his  father's  ship,  which  was  about  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  from  land. 

The  Green  Turtle  has  the  fore  fins  of  an  oblong 
oval ;  those  of  the  male  furnished  with  two  claws  ; 
hind  fins  broad  and  round  at  the  end,  with  one 
claw;  shell  convex,  smooth,  of  a  reddish  brown, 
broke  with  a  yellow,  and  rayed  with  a  deeper  brown 
or  black,  sutures  of  the  shell  and  edge  of  the  side- 
scales  waved ;  belly  a  pale  yellow. 

It  seldom  quits  the  sea  but  to  deposit  its  eggs, 

*  Dec.  3.  lib.  8.  t  Testudo  Mydas. 

S2 


210  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA,  [CH.  3. 

or  to  sport  in  fresh  water.  It  is  on  its  excursions 
to  lay,  when  it  is  usually  fat  and  healthy,  that  it  is 
commonly  taken,  and  in  the  following  manner,  at 
least  upon  those  uninhabited  islands  to  which  the 
Green  Turtle  generally  resorts.  The  men  employ 
ed  in  this  business  land  about  night-fall,  and  keep 
perfectly  still  when  they  see  the  turtle  coming  on 
shore.  When  she  has  proceeded  to  her  greatest 
distance  from  the  sea,  and  when  she  is  most  busily 
employed  in  scratching  a  hole  in  the  sand,  they 
sally  out  and  surprize  her,  and  turn  her  over  on  her 
back,  by  .which  she  is  prevented  from  moving. 
When  thus  secured,  they  go  to  the  next,  and  in  this 
manner,  in  less  than  three  hours,  they  have  been 
known  to  turn  forty  or  fifty  turtles. 

The  chief  food  of  the  turtle  is  a  submarine  plant 
which  covers  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  not  far  from 
the  shore ;  though  they  often  seek  their  provisions 
among  the  rocks,  feeding  upon  the  moss  and  sea 
weed,  and  probably  sometimes  upon  insects  and 
other  small  animals.  According  to  the  relation  of 
navigators,  when  the  sea  is  calm  and  the  weather 
serene,  the  tortoises  are  seen  feeding  on  the  green 
carpet  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  where  the  depth  is 
but  a  few  fathoms.  After  they  have  fed  sufficiently 
they  seek  the  outlets  of  rivers  for  fresh  water ; 
there  they  take  in  a  refreshing  air,  and  then  return 
to  their  former  station.  In  the  intermission  of  their 
feeding,  they  generally  float  with  their  heads  above 
the  surface  of  the  water,  unless  they  are  alarmed 
by  the  motions  of  any  hunters  or  birds  of  prey,  in 
which  case  they  suddenly  plunge  to  the  bottom. 

Their  time  of  coupling  is  from  March  till  May  ; 
and  their  intercourse  is  of  great  duration.  On  this 
occasion  they  resort  to  low,  flat,  sandy  coasts,  as 
the  sand  seems  a  very  convenient  receptacle  for 
their  eggs;  and  in  pursuit  of  a  proper  or  favorite 
situation,  they  often  make  considerable  voyages. 


CII.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  211 

Their  eggs  are  deposited  in  cavities  in  the  sand, 
a  little  above  the  edge  where  the  surges  beat. 
They  cover  them  very  lightly,  that  the  sun  may 
communicate  to  them  a  gentle  warmth,  and  hatch 
their  young.  Whilst  they  prepare  for  the  continu 
ation  of  their  species,  they  furnish  mankind  and 
birds  with  a  very  plentiful  provision  ;  for  they  lay 
their  eo-gs  thrice,  at  the  expiration  of  every  fifteen 
days,  and  generally  produce  four  score,  or  ninety, 
or  even  more,  at  each  fecundation. 

When  the  creature  has  selected  a  spot  for  her 
nest,  which  is  generally  done  about  the  close  of 
evening,  she  returns  without  laying  that  night;  but, 
on  the  next,  goes  to  deposit  a  part  of  her  burthen  ; 
and  having  scraped  a  round  hole  about  one  foot  in 
diameter,  and  a  foot  and  a  half  deep,  she  leaves 
between  eighty  and  ninety  eggs,  which  are  laid  in 
the  space  of  an  hour,  each  nearly  as  big  as  a  hen's 
egg.  At  the  conclusion  of  about  twenty-five  days, 
the  young  tortoises  are  seen  to  rise  out  of  the  sand, 
and,  without  guide  or  instruction,  march  with  a 
gentle  pace  to  the  water ;  but  the  waves  unfortu 
nately  throw  them  back  on  the  shore,  for  the  first 
few  days,  during  which  they  become  the  prey  of 
the  birds,  who  watch  for  them,  and  a  very  large 
proportion  are  destroyed  before  they  obtain  strength 
to  overcome  the  surge,  and  reach  the  bottom  of  the 
sea.  It  is  said,  too,  that  the  mother  turtle  awaits 
their  approach  to  that  element,  in  order  to  devour 
them  ;  but  this  wants  confirmation. 

XXT.  Having  presented  to  the  reader  a  concise 
account  of  the  productions  of  the  animal  kingdom 
of  the  West  Indies,  we  proceed  to  lay  before  him  a 
view  of  some  of  the  principal  vegetable  riches 
which  blessed  these  climes.  WTe  may  consider 
these  under  the  following  divisions.  1.  Such  as 
are  adapted  to,  and  used  in,  the  arts.  2.  Such  as 


212  HISTORY    OP    AMERICA.  [cil.  3. 

were  applied  to  the  sustenance  and  refreshment  of 
man. 

Of  the  first  we  may  name  the  Cedar,  the  Acajou, 
or  Mahogany,  the  Acomas,  Rose-wood,  Indian- 
wood,  Lignum  Vitae,  Iron-wood,  Brazil-wood,  Yel 
low-wood,  Green  Ebony,  Roucou  ;  the  Cotton-tree, 
the  Soap-tree,  the  Arched  Indian  Fig-tree,  Coral- 
wood,  Candle-wood,  and  the  Gourd-tree. 

1.  The  Cedar  was  common,  and  one  of  the  largest 
timber-trees  of  the  island,  growing  frequently  to 
seven  feet  in  diameter.   The  trunk  is  covered  with 
a  rough  bark,  marked  with  longitudinal  fissures, 
which,  as  well  as  the  cones  and  leaves,  has  so  dis 
agreeable  a  smell  of  Asafcctida,  that  few  people 
care  to  enter  a  wood  where  any  of  these  trees  have 
been  recently  cut  down.  The  timber,  however,  has 
a  pleasant  smell,  is  filled  with  a  dark  resinous  sub 
stance,  light,  porous,  and  easily  worked,  and  much 
esteemed  for  wainscoting,  and  the  internal  parti 
tioning  of  most  parts  of  cabinet  ware.  The  Indians 
employed  it  for  their  largest  canoes  and  periaugues. 

2.  The    Acajou-tree    is    of    three    sorts — one, 
bearing  fruit,  we  shall  treat  of  hereafter.     Of  the 
others,  one,  when  barked,  is  white,  and  when  newly 
felled,  is  easily  wrought,  but  soon  grows  so  hard, 
that  it  can  scarce  be  used.    It  is  subject  to  worms, 
and  soon  rots.  The  other,  in  common  use,  is  gene 
rally   known  from    being  much  employed   in   the 
fabric  of  furniture.     The  wood  is  red,  light,  of  a 
pleasant  smell,  and  easily  wrought ;  not  liable  to 
injury  from  the  worm,  and  does  not  rot  in  water, 
when  cut  in  proper  season.    It  was  also  much  used 
by  the  aborigines  for  making  their  canoes,  particu 
larly  those  of  a  large  size.     From  a  single  trunk, 
which  frequently  measures  from  eighty  to  ninety 
feet  from  the  base  to  the  limbs,  the  Caribbeans 
would  construct  one  of  their  periaugues  capable  of 
carrying  fifty  men.     The  tree  shoots  forth  many 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH   DISCOVERIES.  213 

branches,  which  grow  very  close  together,  and 
serve  to  create  that  variegated  appearance  of  the 
wood  so  much  admired.  The  shade  it  affords  is 
very  delightful,  and  superstition  affirms  that  it  con 
tributes  to  the  health  of  those  who  repose  under  it. 
From  both  species,  by  an  incision  in  the  bark,  a 
considerable  quantity  of  gum  may  be  extracted. 

3.  The  Acomas  grows  to  the  height  and  bulk  of 
the  Acajou,  and  is  also  much  esteemed  by  the  car 
penter  and  joiner.  It  bears  a  smooth  and  long  leaf, 
and  a  yellow  fruit  of  the  bigness  of  a  plum,  pleas 
ant  to  the  eye,  but  too  bitter  to  be  eaten.     The 
bark  is  of  an  ash  colour,  and  very  rough ;  the  wood 
heavy  and  easily  polished,  and,  according  to  the 
place  where  it  grows,  the  heart  is  red,  yellow,  or 
violet. 

4.  The  Rose-wood,  by  some  called  the  Cyprian- 
wood  tree,  is  remarkable  for  its  beauty  of  form  and 
flower,  and  the  colour  and  fragrance  of  the  wood. 
It  grows  tall  and  straight ;  is  covered  with  boughs 
laden   with  soft  leaves,  downy  on  one  side,  and 
somewhat  similar  to  those  of  the  walnut-tree.  Dur 
ing  the  season  of  the  rains,  it  puts  forth  clusters  of 
white  flowers,  of  pleasant  odour,   which  are  suc 
ceeded   by   a  small,   blackish,  and    smooth    seed. 
The  bark  is  of  a  silver  gray  ;  the  wood  within  is  of 
a  dark  red,  variegated  with  veins  of  different  col 
ours,  and  its  fragrance,  when  wrought,  has  procured 
it  the  name  which  it  bears. 

5.  The  Indian-wood  tree  is  not  inferior  in  sizo 
and  beauty  to  the  Rose-wood.     It  flowers,  like  it, 
in  the  rainy  season,  and  then  renews  its  leaves. 
The  outer  bark  is  smooth,  thin,  and  even ;  of  a 
bright  silver  gray,  in  some  places  inclining  to  yel 
low  ;  the  inner  bark  is  of  a  vermilion,  and  the  wood 
beneath  of  a  violet  colour,  on  which  account  it  is 
much  esteemed.     It  is  solid  and  heavy,  susceptible 
of  a  fine  polish,  and  was  used  by  the  savages  for 


214  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [cH.  3. 

their  war-clubs.  The  leaves  have  a  pleasant  smell, 
give  piquancy  to  sauces,  in  which  they  are  some 
times  employed,  and  are  supposed  to  possess  some 
medical  virtues. 

6.  The  Lignum  Vitse  grows  in  great  abundance 
in  Jamaica.  It  is  an  ever-green  of  a  dark,  gloomy 
cast,  which  continues  its  verdure  in  the  most 
droughty  seasons,  and,  at  times,  throws  out  a  great 
number  of  blue  blossoms,  which  are  succeeded  by 
so  many  berries,  of  a  roundish  form.  The  tree 
grows  frequently  to  a  very  considerable  size,  but 
takes  a  series  of  years  to  come  to  perfection.  The 
roots  are  thick  in  proportion  to  the  growth  of  the 
tree,  and  run  far  into  the  ground  in  a  perpendicu 
lar  direction,  contrary  to  the  usual  growth  of  tim 
ber-trees  in  that  country,  which  generally  shoot  the 
largest  prongs  of  their  roots  in  a  horizontal  direc 
tion,  and  are  commonly  observed  to  run  near  the 
surface :  the  bark  is  thick  and  smooth  ;  the  wood 
of  a  dark  olive  colour,  and  cross-grained  ;  the  fibres 
running  obliquely  into  one  another,  in  the  form  of 
an  X.  It  is  a  hard,  heavy  timber-wood,  and  suits 
all  occasions  where  strength  and  duration  are  re 
quired,  and  its  weight  is  no  impediment.  It  takes 
a  fine  polish,  and  answers  well  in  the  turner's  lathe  ; 
but  is  chiefly  used  for  ship-blocks.* 

7.  The  Iron-wood  is  of  two  species.  The  first 
and  most  valuable  is  esteemed  for  its  great  solidity, 
weight,  and  hardness.  These  qualities  adapted  it 
to  the  fabrication  of  instruments  of  agriculture,  by 
the  aborigines.  The  tree  is  ranked  among  the 
highest  and  best  proportioned  of  the  islands  ;  bears 
flowers  of  a  violet  colour  in  March  and  September, 
and  is  followed  by  a  fruit  about  the  bigness  of  the 
cherry,  black,  when  ripe,  and  much  sought  after  by 
the  birds.  The  bark  is  of  a  brownish  colour ;  the 

*  Browne's  History  of  Jamaica. 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  2l5 

wood,  when  newly  felled,  is,  except  the  heart,  of  a 
very  bright  red,  but  loses  much  of  its  liveliness  and 
lustre,  when  exposed  to  the  weather.  The  heart  is 
of  a  very  dark  red,  like  that  of  Brazil,  and  so  hard, 
as  to  be  wrought  with  the  greatest  difficulty.  But 
its  beauty,  solidity,  susceptibility  of  polish,  and 
incorruptibility,  requite  the  pains  taken  about  it. 
The  second  species  differs  from  the  first,  chiefly,  in 
being  subject  to  worms ;  on  which  account,  it  is 
deemed  less  valuable. 

8.  The  Brazil-wood,  Casalpinia,  though  scarce, 
was  found  sometimes  in  the  islands.     It  received 
its  name  from  having  been  first  carried  to  Europe 
from  the   Province  of  Brazil.     The   trunk  grows 
very  crooked,  uneven,  and  full  of  knots.    It  is  well 
known  for  its  use  in  the  arts,  especially  in  that  of 
dying.     Another  tree,  (Zanthoxylum,}  also  used  for 
this  purpose,  which,  from  the  colour  it  yielded, 
was  called  the  Yellow-wood,  abounded  in  St.  Croix. 
The  Green  Ebony,  Chloroxylum^  produced  a  grass- 
green   dye  ;    and  was  commonly   used  in  joiners' 
work,  because  it  easily  takes  the  colour  and  lustre 
of  the  true  ebony.     Within  the  outer  bark  of  the 
tree,  there  is  about  two  inches  of  white  inner  bark  ; 
the  rest,  to  the  heart,  is  of  a  dark  green,  inclining 
to  black,  but,  when  polished,  exhibits  some  yellow 
veins,  which  give  it  a  marbled  appearance. 

9.  The   Roucov,  called   by   the   Brazilians  the 
Urucu,  which  produces  the  beautiful  dye  Arnotto, 
grows  to  the  height  of  the  ordinary  orange-tree.  It 
bears  leaves  of  the  figure  of  a  heart,  and  white 
flowers  varied  with  carnation,  consisting  of  five 
leaves,  in  form  of  a  star,  and  about  the  bigness  of 
a  rose,  which  grow  in  bunches  at  the  extremity  of 
the  branches.    These  are  succeeded  by  little  pod*, 
which  contain  several  geeds  of  the  size  of  a  small 
pea,  surrounded  by  a  viscous  substance  of  a  rich 
vermilion  colour,  from  which  the  Arnotto  is  pre- 


21G  HISTORY    OF   AMERICA.  [oil.  3. 

pared,  by  washing  and  evaporation.  The  wood  of 
the  tree  is  very  fragile,  and  so  dry  that  fire  may  be 
readily  produced,  by  rubbi  ng  two  pieces  of  it  against 
each  other.  The  bark  is  used  for  making  lines, 
which  are  very  durable,  and  the  root,  which  yields 
the  colour  and  scent  of  saffron,  is  sometimes  em 
ployed  in  culinary  operations.  The  Caribs  care 
fully  cultivated  this  tree  in  their  gardens,  obtaining 
from  it  the  colouring  with  which  they  painted 
their  bodies  and  ornamented  their  domestic  uten 
sils. 

10.  Of  the  Cotton-plant  there  were  two  kinds. 
The  shrub  so  well  known  in  the  southern  part  of 
the  United  States,  and  a  groundling  which  ran  on 
the  earth  like  an  unsupported  vine.     The  wool  of 
the  latter  was  preferred  by  the  natives  in  the  fabric 
of  their  cloths. 

Of  the  Silk  Cotton-tree,  (Bombax,)  there  were 
two  varieties ;  one  with  erect,  the  other  with  hori 
zontal  branches.  It  is  common  to  the  East  and 
West  Indies,  and  grows  generally  in  the  lowlands, 
and  rises  frequently  to  the  height  of  a  hundred  feet 
and  more,  by  a  straight  and  well-proportioned  stem. 
The  flowers  grow  in  large  tufts,  and  shoot  common 
ly  in  great  abundance,  before  the  leaves  appear ; 
they  are  moderately  large,  and  of  a  dirty  white 
colour.  The  trunk,  while  young,  is  always  armed 
with  thorns ;  but  these  seldom  appear  after  it  has 
acquired  a  height  and  strength  sufficient  to  protect 
it.  The  cotton  makes  good  beds,  but  does  not 
bear  the  water  for  the  hatter's  use,  nor  has  it  a  sta 
ple  to  serve  for  any  other  purpose.  The  trunks  of 
the  full-grown  trees  were  frequently  used  for  ca 
noes. 

11.  There  were   two  sorts  of  trees  which  the 
islanders  used  instead  of  soap ;  the  one  having  the 
saponaceous  quality  in  the  fruit,  and  the  other  in 
the  root.     The  fruit  grows  in  clusters,  is  about  the 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  2]  7 

bigness  of  a  small  plum,  round  and  yellowish,  with 
a  hard,  black  stone,  which  may  be  polished  ;  the 
root  is  white  and  soft.  Both  make  an  excellent 
lather,  but  the  former  used  too  frequently  burns 
the  linen. 

12.  The  Indian  Fig-tree,  the  sovereign  of  the 
vegetable  creation,  itself  a  forest,  and  the  wonder 
of  tropical  climes,  is  divided  into  two  species  by 
Rochefort.  The  one  bears  a  small  fruit  without 
stone,  which,  in  figure  and  taste,  is  somewhat  like 
the  French  fig.  In  other  respects,  there  is  no  re 
semblance.  The  leaf  is  of  a  different  figure,  and 
much  narrower.  The  bulk  of  the  stern  of  the  tree 
is  immense ;  the  trunk  shooting  forth  on  the  sides 
from  the  very  root  to  the  place  where  the  boughs  be 
gin,  certain  excrescences,  which  reach  four  or  five 
feet  about,  making  deep  cavities,  which  stand  like 
so  many  niches.  These  excrescences,  which  are 
of  the  same  substance  as  the  body  of  the  tree,  are 
inclosed  by  the  same  bark  that  covers  it,  and  are 
seven  or  eight  inches  thick,  proportionably  to  the 
trunk  they  encompass.  The  wood  is  white  and 
soft,  and  from  the  shoots  of  the  trunk  planks  for 
flooring  are  frequently  cut,  without  injury  to  the 
tree ;  for  it  recovers  so  rapidly,  that  in  a  short  time 
it  can  scarce  be  perceived  that  any  thing  has  been 
taken  from  it.  The  same  author  notices  one  of 
these  trees  in  the  island  of  Tortoises,  north  of  His- 
paniola,  which  would  shelter  two  hundred  men 
under  the  shade  of  its  branches. 

The  other  species,  described  by  Milton  as — 

The  Fig-free,  not  that  kind  for  fruit  renowned, 
But  such  as  at  this  day  to  Indians  known, 
In  Malabar  and  Dtcan.  spreads  her  arms; 
Branching  so  hroad  and  long,  that  in  the  ground 
The  bearded  twigs  take  root,  and  daughters  grow 
Above  the  moiiier  tree?,  a  pillar'd  shade, 
High  owrarcked,  and  echoing  walks  btticeen, 

PABADME  LOST,  Book  k- 

VOL.  IT.  T 


218  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [CH.  3. 

According  to  Rochefort,  it  thrives  best  in  fenny 
places,  and  on  the  sea-side.  Its  leaf  is  green,  thick, 
and  long.  The  branches,  which  bend  to  the  ground, 
no  sooner  reach  it  than  they  take  root  and  grow 
into  other  trees,  which  again  produce  others,  so 
that,  in  time,  they  spread  over  all  the  good  ground 
in  the  vicinity,  rooting  out  and  destroying  every 
other  species  of  vegetation.  The  labyrinth  of  its 
arches  harbours  the  wild  hoar  and  other  beasts,  and 
formerly  proved  a  place  of  refuge  and  defence  to 
the  hunted  aborigines.  The  bark  affords  excellent 
tannin.* 

13.  There  grows  in  several  of  the  islands  a  small 
shrub,  which  bears  a  seed  as  red  as  coral,  in  bunch 
es  at  the  end  of  its  branches,  which  gives  them  an 
extraordinary  lustre,  and  the  name  of  Coral-wood 
to  the  plant.     The  seed  has  a  small  black  spot  at 
one  end,  which  is  by  some  deemed  a  blemish,  but 
by  others  a  beauty.     It  is  used  for  bracelets  and 
other  ornaments. 

The  Candle-wood  is  charged  with  an  aromatic 
gum,  which  burns  with  a  sweet  scent  and  clear 
flame,  for  which  reason  it  is  much  sought  after  by 
the  inhabitants,  for  firing,  and  for  candles  and 
torches. 

14.  The    Gourd    or    Calabash-tree,    Crescentia, 
grows  chiefly  in   the   lowlands,  and  seldom  rises 
above  sixteen  or  twenty  feet  in  height.    The  trunk 
is  irregular,  and  the  branches  crooked  and  spread 
ing  ;  they  bear  all  their  leaves  in   tufts,  and  are 
sometimes  adorned  with  a  few  single  flowers,  from 
space  to  space.     The  wood  is  tough  and  flexible, 
and  for  these   qualities,  is   much   sought  by  the 

*  This  tree  is  called  in  the  East  Indies  the  Banyan.  Mr.  Mars- 
den  gives  the  following  account  of  the  dimensions  of  one  near 
Manjee,  twenty  miles  west  of  Patna,  in  Bengal :  diameter,  363  to 
373  feet;  circumference  of  the  shadow  at  noon,  1116  feet;  circum 
ference  of  the  several  stems,  in  number  fifty  or  sixty,  921  feet. — 
Hist.  Sumatra,  p.  131. 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  219 

coachmakers.  The  shell  of  the  fruit  makes  a  light 
and  convenient  drinking-cup,  and  is  frequently 
large  enough  to  hold  a  gallon.  It  is  said  to  with 
stand  the  fire  sufficiently  to  be  used  as  a  pot  for 
boiling.  The  thicker  parts  of  it  are  frequently  used 
for  button-moulds. 

XXII.  The  vegetable  productions  adapted  to  the 
sustenance  and  refreshment  of  man,  may  be  con 
sidered  under  the  broad  divisions  of  fruits  and  roots. 
Of  the  first,  we  may  notice  the  Anana,  or  Pine 
Apple,  Goyava,  Pa  paw,  Avocato,  or  Alligator  Pear- 
tree,  Momin,  Junipa,  Raisin-tree,  the  Acajou, 
Icaco,  Monbain,  several  varieties  of  the  Palm,  the 
Cacao,  the  Cassia-tree,  the  Banana  and  Plantain, 
Prickly  Pear,  Capsicum,  or  Indian  Pepper,  Pi 
mento  or  Alspice,  and  several  varieties  of  Pulse, 
Maize,  &c. 

Of  esculent  roots  we  may  enumerate  the  Man 
ioc,  or  Cassava,  the  Yam,  and  the  Sweet  Potato. 

1.  The  Anana,  or  Pine  Apple,  is  esteemed  the 
first  of  all  fruits ;  and  this  will  probably  be  the 
opinion  of  the  reader,  after  he  shall  have  perused 
the  following  quaint  description  from  Rochefort, 
should  his  own  knowledge  not  have  satisfied  him 
of  the  fact.  "  It  is  so  delightful  to  the  eye,  and  of 
so  sweet  a  scent,  that  nature  may  be  said  to  have 
been  extremely  prodigal  of  what  was  most  rare  and 
precious  in  her  treasury  to  this  plant.  It  grows  on 
a  stalk  about  a  foot  high,  encompassed  by  about 
fifteen  or  sixteen  leaves,  as  long  as  those  of  some 
kinds  of  thistles,  broad  as  the  palm  of  a  man's 
hand,  and  in  figure  like  those  of  aloes;  they  are 
pointed  at  the  extremity,  as  those  of  corn-gladtx, 
somewhat  hollow  in  the  midst,  and  having  on  both 
sides  little  prickles,  which  are  very  sharp." 

"  The  fruit,  which  grows  between  these  leaves, 
straight  up  from  the  stalk,  is  sometimes  about  the 


220  BISTCP.Y    OF    A3IEP.ICA,  [cH.  3- 

bigness  of  a  melon  ;  its  figure  is  much  like  that  of 
a  pine  apple  ;  its  rind,  which  is  full  of  little  com 
partments  like  the  scales  of  fish,  of  a  pale-green 
colour,  bordered  with  carnation  upon  a  yellow 
ground,  hath  on  the  outside  several  small  flowers, 
which,  according  to  the  different  aspects  of  the 
sun,  seem  to  be  of  so  many  different  colours,  as 
may  be  seen  in  the  rain-bow ;  as  the  fruit  ripens, 
most  of  these  flowers  fall.  But  that  which  gives  it 
a  far  greater  lustre,  and  acquired  it  the  supremacy 
among  fruit,  is,  that  it  is  crowned  with  a  great 
posie,  consisting  of  flowers  and  several  leaves, 
solid  and  jagged  about,  which  are  of  a  bright  red 
colour,  and  extremely  add  to  the  delightfulness  of 
it." 

"  The  meat  or  pulp  which  is  contained  within 
the  rind,  is  a  little  fibrous,  but,  put  into  the  mouth, 
is  turned  all  to  juice ;  it  hath  so  transcendant  a 
taste,  and  so  particular  to  itself,  that  those  who 
have  endeavoured  to  make  a  full  description  of  it, 
not  able  to  confine  themselves  to  one  comparison, 
have  borrowed  what  they  thought  most  delicate  in 
the  peach,  the  strawberry,  the  Muscadine  grape,  and 
the  pippin,  and  having  said  all  they  could,  have 
been  forced  to  acknowledge,  that  it  hath  a  certain 
particular  taste,  which  cannot  easily  be  expressed." 

"  The  virtue,  or  shoot  by  which  this  plant  may  be 
propagated,  lies  not  in  its  root,  nor  yet  in  a  small 
red  seed,  which  is  many  times  found  in  its  pulp  ; 
but  in  that  garland,  wherewith  it  is  covered  ;  for, 
as  soon  as  it  is  put  in  the  ground,  it  takes  root, 
shoots  forth  leaves,  and  at  the  year's  end  produces 
new  fruit.  It  happens,  sometimes,  that  these  fruits 
are  charged  with  three  posies  or  crowns,  all  which 
have  the  virtue  of  propagating  their  species ;  but 
every  stalk  bears  fruit  but  once  a  year." 

"  There  are  three  or  four  kinds,  which  the  in 
habitants  distinguish  by  the  colour,  figure,  or  scent, 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  221 

to  wit,  the  white  Anana,  the  pointed,  and  that 
called  the  Pippin  or  Renette.  This  last  is  more  es 
teemed  than  the  other  two,  inasmuch  as  being  ripe, 
it  hath,  as  to  the  taste,  all  the  rare  qualities  before 
described  ;  it  hath  also  a  sweeter  scent  than  the 
others,  and  does  not  set  the  teeth  so  much  an 
edge." 

"  The  natural  Indians  of  the  country,  and  the 
French  who  live  in  the  islands,  made  of  this  fruit 
an  excellent  drink,  not  much  unlike  Malmsey, 
when  it  hath  been  kept  a  certain  time :  there  is 
also  made  of  it  a  liquid  conserve,  which  is  one  of 
the  noblest  and  most  delicate  of  any  brought  out  of 
the  Indies:  they  also  cut  the  rind  into  two  pieces, 
and  it  is  preserved  dry,  with  some  of  the  thinnest 
leaves,  and  then  the  pieces  are  neatly  joined  to 
gether  again,  and  they  ice  it  over  with  sugar,  by 
which  means  the  figure  of  the  leaves  and  fruit  is 
perfectly  preserved  ;  and  there  may  be  seen  in 
these  happy  countries,  notwithstanding  the  heats 
of  the  torrid  zone,  a  pleasant  representation  of  the 
sad  productions  of  winter." 

The  medical  qualities  of  this  plant,  which,  like 
most  of  the  vegetable  productions  of  America, 
were  once  deemed  highly  salutary,  we  believe  are 
no  longer  in  repute.  The  present  generation  are 
content  that  it  should  contribute  to  the  enjoyment 
of  health,  without  seeking  in  it  a  panacea  for  dis 
ease. 

2.  The  Goyava  is  similar  to  the  laurel  in  figure, 
save  that  the  leaves  are  softer,  of  a  brighter  green, 
and  more  downy  on  the  lower  side.  The  bark  of 
this  tree  is  very  thin  and  smooth;  the  branches  thick 
and  well  laden  with  leaves,  and  bear,  twice  a  year, 
little  white  flowers,  which  are  followed  by  apples 
of  the  size  of  a  pearmain,  yellow  and  fragrant  when 
ripe.  The  fruit  has  on  the  top  a  small  posie  like  a 
T2 


222  KZSTOBY    OF    AMERICA.  [ell.  3. 

crown ;  and  the  meat  within  is  either  white  or  red, 
full  of  little  kernels  like  those  of  the  pomegranate. 

3.  The  Papaw,  (Papayer)  is  a  tree  which  grows 
without  boughs,  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  high,  and  of 
a  bulk  proportionable  to  its  height;    hollow  and 
spungy  within,  on  which   account  it  is  frequently 
used  as  a  conduit  pipe.    There  are  two  kinds ;  one 
common  to  all  the  islands,  whose  leaves  are  divided 
into  three  points,  much   like  that  of  the  fig-tree. 
They  depend  from  long  stems,  which  shoot  from 
the  top  of  the  tree,  and,  bending  downwards,  cover 
several  round  fruits,  about  the  size  of  the  great 
quince  pear,  which  grow  round  the  bowl  to  which 
they  are  fastened.     The  other  is  peculiar  to  St. 
Croix ;  is  fairer,  and  has  more  leaves,  and  is  more 
highly  esteemed,  on   account  of  its  fruit,  which 
groAvs  as  large  as  a  melon,  and  of  the  figure  of  a 
woman's  breast;    whence  the   Portuguese  call  it 
Mamao.    Both  species  produce  new  fruits  monthly, 
and  bear  a  flower  having  the  odour  of  the  Jessa 
mine.     The  fruit  of  the  latter  is  accounted  among 
the  choicest    productions   of  the    island,   having, 
when    at  maturity,  a  firm  substance  of   pleasant 
taste,  which  may  be  cut  in  pieces  like  a  melon. 
The  rind  is  yellow,  intermixed  with  certain  green 
lines,  and  is  filled  with  small  seeds,  round,  viscous, 
and  soft,  of  a  piquant  taste,  approaching  that  of 
spice. 

4.  The  Avocato,  or  Alligator  Pear-tree,  grows 
commonly  to  the  size  of  our  largest  apple-trees, 
and  spreads  pretty  wide  at  top ;  the  branches  are 
succulent  and  soft ;  the  leaves  oblong  and  veiny ; 
and  the  fruit  of  the  form  of  the  pear.    But  the  pulp 
is  covered  with  a  tough,  skinny  coat,  and  contains 
a  large,  rugged  seed,  which  is  wrapped  up  in  one 
or  two  thin,    membranous    covers.      The  fruit  is 
highly  esteemed.    The  pulp  is  firm,  and  has  a  deli 
cate,  rich  flavour,  gaining  on  the  palate  of  most  peo- 


CD.  3.]  SPANISH   DISCOVERIES.  223 

pie,  and  becoming  agreeable  to  those  who  do  not 
at  first  like  it.  But  it  is  so  rich  and  mild,  that 
spice,  or  other  pungent  substance  is  added,  to  give 
it  piquancy.  It  seems  equally  agreeable  to  all  sorts 
of  creatures — to  the  horse,  the  cow,  the  dog,  the 
cat ;  and  to  all  kinds  of  birds. 

5.  The  Momin-tree  grows  to  the. size  of  an  ap 
ple-tree,  and  bears  a  large  fruit  of  the  same  name. 
In  some  of  the  islands  it  is  called  Curacoa,  because 
it  was  originally  brought  from  thence.     The  fruit 
is  like  a  small  cucumber,  not  fully  ripe ;  is  always 
green,  and  enamelled  with  several  small  partitions 
like  scales.     When  mature,  it  is  within  as  white  as 
cream,  of  a  highly  agreeable  flavour,  compounded 
of  acid  and  sweet.     In  the  midst  lies  the  seed,  of 
the  size  and  figure  of  a  bean,  very  smooth,  and  of 
the  colour  of  a  touchstone,  on  which  a  piece  of 
gold  had  been  newly  tried ;  for  it  seems  to  sparkle 
with  little  golden  veins. 

6.  The  Junipa  grows  to  the  size  of  a  Chesnut- 
tree,  with  leaves  similar  to  the  Walnut ;  and  its 
branches  bending  towards  the  ground  make  a  plea 
sant  shade.     It  bears  a  flower  like  the  Narcissus ; 
the  wood  is  solid,  and  of  a  pearly-gray  colour.  The 
fruit  is  a  species  of  apple,  which,  when  ripe,  has 
the  appearance  of  having  been  baked  in  an  oven ; 
its  taste  is  a  pleasant  acid ;  falling  from  the  tree,  it 
makes   a  noise  like  the  report  of  a  gun,  which  is 
caused  by  the  explosion  of  the  air  contained  in  the 
pellicles  that  inclose  the  seed.     The  juice,  though 
itself  colourless,  dyes  a  dark  violet,  and  was  much 
used  by  the  Indians  in  painting  their  bodies ;  and 
it  is  said,  that  the  flesh  of  the  animals  which  feed 
on  the  fruit  assumes  the  same  tint. 

7.  The  Raisin-tree,  Cocolobis,  called  by  the  Ca- 
ribs  Ouliem,  is  stinted  in  growth,  and  creeps,  in  a 
manner,  along  the  ground,  on  the  sea-side ;  but,  in 
good  ground,  it  grows  up  high  as  one  of  the  most 


324  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [cH.    3. 

delightful  trees  of  the  forest.  The  leaves  are  round 
and  thick,  variegated  with  red  and  green.  Beneath 
the  bark  is  a  soft,  white  substance,  about  two  inches 
thick,  under  which  the  wood  is  of  a  violet  colour, 
solid,  and  fit  for  joiners'  work.  The  fruit  might  be 
taken  for  large  purple  grapes,  but  under  a  tender 
pellicle,  and  a  thin  and  slightly  acid  pulp,  is  a  hard 
stone  like  that  of  the  plum. 

8.  The  fruit-bearing  Acajou,  or  Cashew  Nut- 
tree,  (Anacardium,)  is  a  tree  of  no  great  height, 
which  spreads  its  branches  down  towards  the 
ground.  The  leaves  are  fair  and  large,  closing  to 
a  roundness  before,  and  are  divided  by  certain 
veins.  The  flowers,  when  first  put  forth,  are  white, 
but  afterwards  take  a  reddish  or  purple  hue.  They 
grow  in  clusters,  and  perfume  the  air  widely  around 
them  ;  arid  do  not  fall  until  thrust  off  by  a  nut, 
much  after  the  form  of  an  ear,  or  hare's  kidney. 
Under  the  nut  grows  a  large  and  somewhat  long 
apple,  which  it  crowns  as  with  a  crest.  The  nut, 
when  ripe,  takes  an  olive  colour,  whilst  the  apple 
puts  on  a  thin,  delicate  skin,  of  a  lively  vermilion. 
The  nut  is  oily,  but  palatable.  The  apple  is  slight 
ly  acidulous  and  pleasant.  From  its  juice  the  In 
dians  make  an  excellent  beverage,  more  intoxicat 
ing  than  the  best  French  wine. 

The  tree  bears  but  once  a  year ;  whence  the  Bra 
zilians  numbered  their  age  by  the  nuts,  laying  up 
one  for  every  year,  which  they  kept  carefully  in  a 
little  basket.  The  seed  is  the  nut,  by  which  the 
tree  is  readily  propagated.  The  shell  of  the  nut 
contains  a  great  quantity  of  caustic  oil  lodged  in 
the  cells  between  the  lamina?,  which  the  ladies  of 
the  colonies  sometimes  apply  to  remove  the  skin  of 
the  face,  that  a  new  and  fairer  one  might  grow 
thereon.  The  almond,  or  kernel,  is  of  a  delicate 
taste  j  but  is  generally  eaten  roasted,  the  shell  be. 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  225 

ing  burned  to  free  the  kernel  from  the  oil.*  The 
tree  produces  a  great  quantity  of  gum,  not  inferior 
to  Gum  Arabic  in  medicine  or  the  arts. 

9.  The  Icaco  is  a  small  plum-tree,  which  grows 
after  the  form  of  a  briar ;  and  is  at  all  times  laden 
with  small  long  leaves.     Twice  a  year  it  is  clothed 
with  abundance   of  white  or  violet  flowers,  which 
are  followed  by  a  small,  round  fruit,  about  the  big 
ness  of  a  damson,  which,  when  ripe,  takes  a  white 
or  violet  colour,  as  was  the  blossom. 

10.  The  Hog-plum,  (Spondias,)  with  its  varie 
ties,  grows  very  high,   bears   long  and  yellowish 
plums;  but  the  stone  of  some  species  being  larger 
than  the  meat  about  it,  the  fruit  is  not  much  es 
teemed.     It  produces  abundantly,  and  the  swine 
feeding  in  the  forests,  at  the  season  when  the  fruit 
is  ripe,  are  fattened  by  what  they  gather  from  the 
ground.     Being  propagated  by  slips,  it  was  com 
monly  used  for  making  hedges. 

11.  Of  the  Palm,  four  varieties  were  known  in 
the  West  India  Islands.     1.  The  Prickly-palm,  so 
called    on   account   of  the    trunk,  branches,    and 
leaves  being  furnished  with  prickles  very  sharp,  a 
wound  from  which  gives  great  and  lasting  pain. 
Those  which  encompass  the  trunk  are  flat,  about 
the  length  of  a  man's  finger,  smooth,  and   of  a 
tawny  colour,  inclining  to  black.    Its  fruit  grows  in 
clusters,  is  round,  and  large  as  the  common  walnut, 
which  it  entirely  resembles,  and  the  kernels  are 
good  to  eat.     Of  the  sap  drawn  from  this  tree,  the 
natives  made  a  species  of  wine. 

2.  The  Franc-palm  is  a  straight  tree,  of  extraordi 
nary  height,  variously  stated  at  from  one  hundred 
and  thirty  to  two  hundred  feet.  The  roots  are 
above  ground  round  about  the  stock,  two  or  three 
feet  high,  and  about  the  size  of  a  hogshead  ;  small, 

*  Browne. 


226  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [cH.  3. 

in  proportion  to  the  height  of  the  tree  they  sustain, 
but  so  interlaced  with  each  other,  that  they  afford 
it  a  substantial  support.  One  thing  peculiar  to  this 
tree  is,  that  it  is  larger  in  circumference  above 
than  below.  While  young,  the  bark  is  tender,  of 
a  dark  gray  colour,  and  marked,  at  every  foot's  dis 
tance,  with  a  circle  corresponding,  it  is  said,  with 
the  year  of  its  growth  ;  but  which  disappears,  when 
it  has  attained  its  full  size.  The  branches  are 
channelled  and  smooth,  and  have  on  each  side  an 
infinite  number  of  leaves,  green,  long,  narrow,  and 
very  thin,  which  add  much  to  its  beauty.  The  ten- 
derest  of  these  branches,  which  are  not  yet  fully 
blown,  rise  directly  from  the  middle  of  the  tree  ,* 
while  the  others,  which  bend  downwards  about  it, 
make,  as  it  were,  a  rich  and  beautiful  crown,  and 
give  it  the  most  graceful  form  of  vegetable  crea 
tion* 

The  tree  disburthens  itself  monthly  of  some  one 
of  its  branches ;  and  also  a  portion  of  bark  from 
the  trunk,  which  is  of  the  thickness  of  tanned 
leather,  and  is  used  by  the  inhabitants,  with  the 
leaves,  for  covering  the  roofs  of  their  dwellings. 
From  the  top  and  centre  of  the  trunk  issues  a  white 
marrow  or  pith,  very  tender  and  savory,  tasting  like 
a  nut  when  raw,  and,  when  boiled  with  the  thin 
and  white  leaves  which  enfold  it,  like  so  much 
linen,  is  ranked  among  the  most  delicious  dishes 
of  the  Caribbees.  From  the  resemblance  of  this 
pith  to  cabbage,  the  tree  has  been  called  the  Palm, 
and  the  Mountain,  cabbage. 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing  particulars,  Roche- 
fort  adds,  "  there  may  be  easily  observed  a  fair 
branch,  which,  rising  from  the  top  of  the  trunk,  is 
always  turned  towards  the  rising  sun.  It  is  renew 
ed  every  year,  and  when  it  comes  out  of  its  case,  it 
is  enamelled  with  an  infinite  number  of  little  yel 
low  flowers,  like  golden  buttons,  which  afterward* 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  227 

falling,  their  places  are  supplied  by  certain  round 
fruits,  about  the  bigness  of  a  hen's  egg.  They  are 
fastened  together,  as  it  were,  in  one  cluster;  and 
that  these  flowers  and  fruits  might  be  secured 
against  the  injuries  of  the  weather,  they  are  cover 
ed  above  by  a  thick  bark,  which,  on  the  outside,  is 
hard,  and  of  a  grayish  colour,  but  within,  a  kind 
of  vermilion  gilt,  closing  upwards  like  a  pyramid. 
This  precious  fan  is  nothing  else  but  the  case 
which  kept  in  the  flowers  before  they  were  fully 
blown,  and  being  opened  below,  spreads  itself  into 
a  hollow  figure  in  the  midst,  and  pointed  at  the 
extremities,  the  better  to  cover  both  the  flowers  and 
the  fruit." 

The  Latanier-palm  grows  to  a  considerable  height, 
but  not  large.  It  is  without  branches  ;  the  leaves, 
which  are  long,  round  above,  and  spread  at  the  ex 
tremity  like  a  fan,  grow  on  stalks  which  spring 
from  certain  filaments  that  encompass  the  top  of 
the  trunk.  The  Indians  covered  their  cots  with 
these  leaves,  and  from  the  bark  of  the  stalks  they 
made  sieves,  baskets,  and  other  household  utensils. 
This  tree  was  also  their  armoury ;  from  it  was 
formed  their  bows,  swords,  and  clubs,  their  jave 
lins,  and  the  points  of  their  arrows. 

The  fourth  and  most  excellent  of  the  Palm  spe 
cies,  indigenous  to  the  islands,  is  the  Cocoa-nut 
tree.  It  does  not  attain  the  size  of  the  Cocoa  of 
the  East  Indies,  its  ordinary  height  not  exceeding 
twenty-five  feet.  The  fruit  grows  upon  the  very  trunk, 
at  the  shooting  forth  of  the  branches.  It  is  a  sphe 
rical  nut,  several  inches  in  diameter,  covered  with 
a  shell  several  lines  thick,  and  so  hard  that  it  may  be 
polished,  and  converted  into  bowls  and  cups.  It  is 
encompassed  by  an  outward  covering  or  pod,  two 
or  more  inches  in  thickness,  composed  of  filaments. 
The  nut  itself  is  partly  hollow ;  the  meat  is  very 
white,  hard,  and  firmly  fastened  within  the  shell, 


228  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [oil,  3. 

and  has  a  taste  somewhat  like  the  almond.  Within 
the  cavity,  which  may  be  two-thirds  of  the  diame 
ter  of  the' nut,  is  a  pleasant  and  refreshing  liquor, 
which  is  said  to  have  peculiar  virtue  as  a  cosmetic, 
if  used  when  the  fruit  is  newly  fallen  from  the  tree, 
clearing  the  face  of  all  wrinkles,  and  giving  it  a 
bright  and  vermilion  colour. 

12.  The  Cacao,  from  the  fruit  of  which  the  rich 
and  nourishing  beverage  chocolate    is  fabricated, 
was  indigenous  to  the  island  of  Hispaniola,  and  is 
not  inferior  to  that  of  Caracas.    Next  to  the  mines 
and  sugar  plantations,  it  formed  the  most  consider 
able  source  of  insular  wealth,  in  the  period  imme 
diately  subsequent  to  the  discovery.    The  quantity 
exported  was  more  than  sufficient  for  the  consump 
tion  of  Spain,  and  a  very  profitable  trade  in  the  ar 
ticle  was  carried  on  with  other  countries  in  Europe. 
The  Cacao  of  St.  Domingo  is  more  pungent  than 
that  of  Caracas,  and  when   mixed  with  the  latter, 
gives  to  it  a  more  delicate  flavour.  The  cultivation 
of  the  tree  has  almost  ceased  in  the  island  ;  but  it 
is  still  found  wild  in  the  plain  of  La  Vega,  and  in 
the  northern  provinces.* 

13.  The  Cassia  tree  is  of  the  size  and  figure  of  the 
peach  tree.     The  leaves  are  long  and  narrow,  and 
fall  off  in  the  season  of  the   drought,  but  return 
with  the  rains.    They  are  preceded  by  yellow  blos 
soms  ;  the  fruit  is  a  pod  of  about  an  inch  in  diame 
ter,  and  from  a  foot  to  two  feet  in  length,  divided 
into    many   cells,  containing  the   medicinal    drug 
which  bears  the  name  of  the  tree,  given  to  it  in 
the  east.    The  Caribs  called  it  Mali  Mali.    Before 
maturity,  the  hue  of  the  fruit  is  green,  but  when 
ripe,  it  assumes  a  brownish,  or  dark  violet  colour. 

In  St.  Domingo  there  were  extensive  plains  cov 
ered  with  these  trees.     When  the  fruit  is  ripe  and 

*  M.  de  St.  Mcry,  Descrip.  of  St.  Domingo. 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  229 

dry,  the  noise  occasioned  by  the  collision  of  the 
hard  and  long  pods  is  heard  at  a  great  distance,  and 
has  been  compared  to  the  dashing  of  the  waves  on 
the  sea-shore,  and  to  the  clashing  of  arms  in  an 
engagement  of  soldiers. 

14.  The  Plantain,  or  Banana,*  is,  for  the  inhab 
itants  of  the  torrid  zone,  what  the  cereal  gramina, 
wheat,  barley,  and  rye,  are  for  Western  Asia  and 
for  Europe,  and  what  the  numerous  varieties  of 
rice  are,  for  the  countries  beyond  the  Indies.  In 
the  two  continents,  in  the  islands  throughout  the 
immense  extent  of  the  equinoctial  seas,  wherever 
the  mean  heat  of  the  year  exceeds  75°  of  Fahren 
heit,  the  fruit  of  the  Banana  forms  a  large  portion 
of  the  subsistence  of  man.  Clavigero,  Foster,  and 
other  writers,  upon  the  authority  of  Oviedo,  assert, 
that  thrs  valuable  plant  was  brought  to  America,  by 
the  way  of  St.  Domingo,  by  Thomas  de  Berlangas, 
a  friar,  in  1515,  from  Grand  Canary.  But  this  error 
has  been  abundantly  refuted  by  Sir  Hans  Sloane, 
and  more  recently,  by  A.  de  Humboldt,  who  prove 
that  every  species  of  the  Plantain  grows  spontane 
ously  in  all  the  tropical  parts  of  the  earth.  Two 
species,  the  true  Platano  or  Arton,  (Musa  Paradi- 
siaca,  Lin.)  the  Ca?nburi,  (M.  Sapientiim,  Lin.) 
abounded  in  the  West  Indies,  at  the  time  of  the 
discovery.  They  differ,  chiefly,  in  the  size  of  the 
fruit ;  which,  of  the  latter,  is  smaller  than  of  the 
former.  The  stalks  grow  from  twelve  to  fifteen  feet 

*  The  Musa  was  not  altogether  unknown  to  the  ancients.  Pliny 
describes  it  in  his  Natural  History,  lib.  xii.  cap.  8.  And  having 
given  its  specific  characters,  he  adds  that  the  name  Palan,  which 
was  given  to  it  in  the  time  of  Alexander,  was  preserved  at  Mala 
bar:  to  which  Ciarza  del  Orto,  a  learned  Portuguese  physician, 
who  resided  there  many  years,  bears  witness.  It  is  doubtful  whe 
ther  Platano,  or  Plantain,  has  been  derived  from  the  word  Palan. 
The  name  Batiana  is  given  by  the  French,  and  that  of  Musa,  from 
the  Arabic,  by  the  Italians.  By  some  it  is  called  the  fruit  of  Para 
dise;  and  is  believed  to  be  lliat  which  tempted  our  first  parents  to 
ein. — Clavigero,  lib.  1.  note. 

VOL.  IT.  U 


230  HISTORY    OF   AMERICA.  [cH.  3. 

high,  spring  from  a  large  pear-shaped  bulb,  and  are 
of  a  green  colour,  shining,  spungy,  and  watery. 
The  leaf  is  about  four  feet  in  length,  and  a  foot  and 
a  half  in  breadth,  of  a  delicate  green,  very  thin 
and  soft.  The  fruit  grows  at  the  top  of  the  stem, 
in  clusters  comprising  together,  frequently,  of  the 
larger  kind,  from  fifty  to  eighty  ;  and  of  the  smaller, 
from  eighty  to  one  hundred  and  twenty  individuals, 
which  weigh  from  sixty -six  to  eighty-eight  pounds. 
The  larger  fruit  grows  to  twelve  or  fourteen  inches 
in  length,  bending  inward  at  the  extremity,  and  is 
about  an  inch  and  a  half  in  thickness.  The  flesh 
is  firm  and  solid,  white  before  it  is  ripe,  but  yellow 
at  maturity.  It  may  be  dressed  for  eating,  when 
green,  by  boiling  or  roasting,  and  when  ripe,  is 
eaten  raw.  It  is  dry,  mealy,  and  sweet,  and  highly 
nutritious.  The  plant  propagates  itself  by  scions, 
and,  in  good  ground,  spreads  with  great  facility,  and 
is  not  easily  eradicated. 

Perhaps  there  is  no  other  plant  on  the  globe, 
that  produces  so  much  nutritive  substance,  in  pro 
portion  to  the  ground  it  occupies.  It  develops  its 
clusters  eight  or  nine  months  after  planting,  and 
may  be  gathered  in  the  tenth  or  eleventh  month. 
When  the  stalk  is  cut,  there  is  constantly  another 
(pimpollo,}  which,  having  two-thirds  of  the  height 
of  the  mother  plant,  bears  fruit  three  months  later. 
In  this  manner,  a  plantation  of  Musa,  called  in  the 
colonies  Platanar,  is  perpetuated,  without  other 
care  bestowed  by  man  than  to  cut  the  stalks  of 
which  the  fruit  has  ripened,  and  to  give  the  earth, 
once  or  twice  a  year,  a  slight  dressing  by  digging 
round  the  roots.  A  spot  of  ground  of  one  thousand 
square  feet,  may  contain  from  thirty  to  forty  plants, 
and  will  yield  in  the  year  more  than  four  thousand 
pounds  of  nutriment. "  Wheat,  sown  in  the  most  fer 
tile  countries  of  Europe,  may  produce,  on  the  same 
space,  about  thirty-three  pounds,  and  potatoes 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH   DISCOVERIES.  231 

about  an  hundred  pounds.  Hence,  the  product  of 
the  Banana  is  to  that  of  wheat,  as  133  : 1,  and  to 
that  of  potatoes  as  44  : 1.  Thus  an  acre  cultivated 
with  bananas,  of  the  large  species,  will  maintain 
fifty  individuals,  whilst  the  same  quantity  in  wheat 
will  not  yield  subsistence  for  two  persons.*  Ac 
cordingly,  an  European  newly  arrived  in  the  torrid 
zone,  is  struck  with  nothing  so  much  as  the  ex 
treme  smallness  of  the  spots  under  cultivation, 
around  a  cabin  which  contains  a  numerous  family 
of  Indians. 

The  ripe  fruit  of  the  Musa,  when  exposed  to  the 
sun,  is  preserved  like  figs.  The  skin  becomes 
black,  and  takes  a  particular  odour,  which  resem 
bles  that  of  smoked  ham.  In  this  state  it  is  called 
Platano  Passado,  and  becomes  an  object  of  com 
merce.  It  has  an  agreeable  taste,  and  is  very 
healthy.  But  Europeans,  newly  arrived,  consider 
the  ripe  fruit  of  the  Platano  Arton,  newly  gathered, 
as  ill  to  digest.  This  opinion  is  very  ancient,  for 
Pliny  relates  that  Alexander  forbade  his  army  to 
use  the  bananas  which  grew  on  the  banks  of  the 
Hyphasus.  Meal  is  made  from  the  Musa,  by  cut 
ting  the  green  fruit  into  slices,  drying  it  in  the  sun, 
and  pounding  it,  when  it  becomes  friable ;  and  it 
serves  the  same  purposes  as  flour  from  rice  or 
maize. 

The  facility  with  which  the  Banana  is  repro 
duced,  gives  it  an  extraordinary  advantage  over 
fruit-trees,  and  even  over  the  bread  fruit-tree, 
which,  for  eight  months  in  the  year,  is  loaded  with 
farinaceous  fruit.  When  a  fruit-tree  is  destroyed, 
years  are  necessary  to  repair  the  loss.  A  planta 
tion  of  bananas  may  be  renewed  from  suckers  in  a 
few  months. 

But  is  this  spontaneous    abundance  of  food  a 

*  Iltunboldrs  Mex.  lib.  4.  c.  9. 


232  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  [cH.  3. 

genuine  blessing?  To  moisten  our  bread  with  the 
sweat  of  the  brow  is  a  curse  only  where  our  labour 
is  commanded  by  another,  or  where  its  return  is 
scanty  or  uncertain.  A  constant  and  powerful 
stimulus  is  necessary  for  awakening  our  energies, 
and  the  development  of  our  moral  and  physical 
faculties.  It  cannot  be  more  true,  that  our  present 
state  is  one  of  probation,  designed  to  prepare  us 
for  another  and  better  mode  of  being,  than  that 
the  decree  which  subjected  us  to  labour  was  indis 
pensable,  in  our  present  organization,  to  our  tem 
poral  improvement  and  happiness.  In  those  coun 
tries  where  the  fruitful  earth  is  most  prolific,  the 
human  race  is  most  feeble,  and  has  been  the  sport 
of  every  hardy  invader.  It  has  frequently  been 
said  in  the  Spanish  colonies,  that  the  inhabitants 
of  the  warm  regions  will  never  awake  from  their 
apathy  of  ages,  until  the  banana  plantations  shall 
be  utterly  destroyed.  The  remedy  is  violent,  and 
let  us  hope,  under  the  new  political  dispensation, 
will  be  unnecessary.  When  we  consider,  how 
ever,  the  facility  with  which  our  species  may  be 
supported  in  climes  which  produce  the  banana,  we 
are  not  surprized  that,  in  the  equinoctial  region  of 
the  New  World,  civilization  commenced  on  the 
mountains,  in  a  soil  of  inferior  fertility,  and  under 
a  sky  less  favourable  to  the  development  of  or 
ganized  beings,  in  whom  necessity  ever  awakens 
industry.  At  the  foot  of  the  Cordillera,  in  the  hu 
mid  valleys  of  Vera  Cruz,  Valladolid,  and  Guada- 
laxara,  a  man  who  employs  merely  two  days  in  the 
week,  by  no  means  laboriously,  may  procure  sub 
sistence  for  a  large  family.  Yet  such  is  the  love  of 
his  native  soil,  that  the  mountaineer,  whom  the 
frost  of  a  single  night  frequently  deprives  of  his 
harvest,  never  descends  into  the  fertile  but  thinly 
inhabited  plain,  where  his  subsistence  would  be 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  233 

more  assured,  but  where  the  springs  of  life  play,  if 
not  less  freely,  certainly  less  happily. 

15.  The  Prickly  Pear,  called  by  the  French  Ra- 
quette,  from  the  figure  of  its  leaf,  is  a  great  thorny 
bush,  whose  stem,  which  is  indeed  a  leaf,  scarce 
rises  above  a  foot  from  the  ground  along  which  the 
plant  lies.    The  leaves  are  green,  heavy,  and  about 
an  inch  thick,  and  grow  one  out  of  the  other ;  they 
are  armed  with  small  sharp  prickles,  and  some  bear 
fruit  as  large  as  the  date-plum,  also  prickly,  red 
within  and  without,  and  of  a  delicate  and  grateful 
flavour.     The  shape  of  the  fruit  is  somewhat  like 
that  of  the  fig,  to  which  it  has  also  a  resemblance 
in  the  seed. 

16.  The  pepper  known  by  the  Indians  under  the 
general  name  of  Axi,  was  of  several  species,  in 
cluding  the  green  and  red  peppers  of  our  gardens, 
the  Pimento,  and  the  Cayenne  of  our  tables.     All 
the  varieties  were  abundantly  cultivated  by  the  na 
tives,  and  profusely  used  in  their  food.     We  may 
observe  here,  that  there  is  much  confusion  among 
the  discoverers,  in  applying  the  terms  Axi  and  Agi. 
The  first,  we  believe,  was  the  generic  name  for 
pepper,  and  the  second  for  esculent  roots. 

17.  The   islands  abounded  in  esculent  vegeta 
bles,  among  which  were  beans,  and  other  pulse, 
differing  little  from  the  kinds  commonly  cultivated 
in  our  gardens.     The  Choco,  Ochre,  Lima  bean, 
and  Indian  kale,  were  deservedly  cherished.  Roche- 
fort  describes  a  species  of  bean  which  he  calls  the 
seven  years'   bean,  the   same   stalk  bearing  fruit 
seven   years    successively  ;    spreading  itself  over 
trees,  rocks,  and  whatever  else  it  can  fasten  upon  ; 
and  during  the  whole  of  this  long  period  exhibit 
ing  flowers,  and  green  and  ripe  fruit. 

18.  Of  maize,  or  Indian  corn,  so  universally  cul 
tivated  in  America,  it  is  scarce  necessary  to  give  a 

U  2 


$34  HISTORY    OF   AMERICA,  fcH.  3« 

description.  Two,  sometimes  three,  crops  were 
raised  in  the  islands  annually.  It  is  an  original 
gramina  of  America,  and  has  been  thence  spread 
over  most  regions  of  the  globe.* 

19.  The  Manioc,  Yuca,  or  Cassava  root,  on  account 
of  its  nutritious  qualities,  and  ready  convertibility 
into  bread,  is  a  most  valuable  plant,  and  was  ex 
tensively  cultivated  by  the  indigines.  It  grows  so 
abundantly,  that  a  quantity  of  ground  planted  with 
it,  will  feed  more  persons  than  six  times  as  much 
sown  with  wheat.  It  shoots  forth  crooked  branches 
of  the  height  of  five  or  six  feet,  full  of  knots,  and 
easily  broken,  and  is  clothed  with  long  narrow 
leaves.  It  is  propagated  by  planting  the  joints  or 
slips,  after  the  manner  of  the  sugar-cane.  The 
root  of  the  ordinary  kind  attains  maturity  in  about 
nine  months ;  but  there  are  varieties  in  Cayenne, 
called  Manioc  bois  blanc,  and  Manioc  maipoiirri 
rouge,  which  are  pulled  up  only  at  the  end  of  fif 
teen  months. f  The  root  possesses  the  extraordi 
nary  advantage  of  remaining  uncorrnpted  in  the 
ground  for  three  years ;  and  of  being  thus  always 
safely  garnered.  We  have  already  mentioned  the 
manner  in  which  this  root  was  prepared  for  food  by 
the  Indians;:f:  and  that  the  juice  of  one  species, 
(the  juca  amarga)  is  a  mortal  poison.  But  Roche- 
fort  assures  us,  that  it  loses  this  deleterious  quality 
in  four  and  twenty  hours  after  expression  ;  and  Sir 
Hans  Sloane,  Dr.  Darwin,  Mr.  Edwards,  and  Baron 
A.  de  Humboldt,  concur  in  asserting,  that  it  be 
comes  innoxious  when  boiled.  The  aborigines  re 
sorted  to  this  poison  to  free  themselves  from  Span 
ish  oppression ;  and  in  the  "  Cave  of  the  Indians" 
in  Haiti,  lie  the  bones  of  more  than  four  hundred, 
who  thus  destroyed  themselves. §  In  the  modern 

*  1  Edw.  W.  Ind.— 2  Humboldt,  lib.  4.  ch.  ix. 

t  2  Humboldt's  Mex.  lib.  4.  chap.  ix. 

t  See  page  94.  vol.  1.  $  Rochefort 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  235 

mode  of  preparation,  the  root,  after  being  well 
washed,  is  reduced  to  a  pulp  on  iron  graters,  and 
placed  in  strong  linen,  or  palmetto  bags,  that  the 
juice  may  be  thoroughly  expressed.  The  fecula  is 
then  dried  in  the  sun,  beat-en  in  mortars,  and  care 
fully  sifted.  It  is  baked  on  griddles  over  proper 
fires,  the  farina  being  strewed  thereon  to  such 
diameter  and  thickness  as  may  be  desired.  It  ag 
glutinates  as  it  heats,  gradually  hardens,  and  when 
fully  baked  is  a  wholesome,  well-tasted,  and  nu 
tritive  bread.  The  expressed  juice  is  frequently 
boiled,  when  a  thick  viscid  scum  rises,  which  is 
always  thrown  away ;  the  remainder,  resembling 
whey,  is  diluted,  and  kept  for  common  drink,  or 
undiluted  is  substituted  for  soup,  and  frequently 
made  into  sauce  for  fish,  resembling  the  Souy 
brought  from  China.*  Humboldt  informs  us,  how 
ever,  that  serious  accidents  sometimes  happen  when 
the  juice  has  not  been  sufficiently  boiled.  Yet 
Browne  (Hist.  Jam.)  says,  that  the  root  with  the 
juice  unexpressed,  is  eaten  with  impunity  by  the 
hogs. 

The  nutritive  quality  of  the  bread  arises  from 
the  sugar  it  contains,  mixed  with  a  viscous  matter, 
which  unites  the  farinaceous  molecules  of  the  Cas 
sava.  The  native  Indians,  who  are  more  abstemi 
ous  than  the  whites,  consume  of  it  about  a  pound 
a-day.  The  want  of  gluten,  and  the  thinness  of 
the  bread,  render  it  brittle,  and  difficult  of  trans 
portation — an  inconvenience  particularly  felt  in 
long  navigations.  The  fecula  of  the  Manioc  grated, 
dried,  and  smoked,  is  almost  inalterable.  Insects 
and  worms  never  attack  it,  and  every  traveller 
knows  in  equinoctial  America  the  advantages  of 
the  Couaque.\ 

The  Abbe  Raynal,  amid  a  thousand  other  errors 

*  Humboldt.  t  Humboldt's  Mex. 


238  HISTORY    OF    AMERICA.  fctt.  3* 

and  perversions,  asserts  that  the  Manioc  was  trans 
planted  from  Africa  to  America,  to  serve  for  the 
maintenance  of  the  negroes,  and  that  if  it  existed 
on  the  continent,  before  the  arrival  of  the  Span* 
iards,  it  was  not  known  by  the  natives  of  the  West 
Indies  in  the  time  of  Columbus.  No  error  is  more 
easily  exposed.  Amerigo  Vespucci  relates  in  his 
letter  addressed  to  the  Duke  of  Loraine,*  that  he 
saw  bread  made  of  Manioc,  on  the  coast  of  Paria, 
in  1497.  "  The  natives,"  says  this  adventurer,  in 
other  respects  by  no  means  accurate  in  his  recital, 
"  know  nothing  of  our  corn  and  farinaceous  grains  ; 
they  draw  their  principal  subsistence  from  a  root 
which  they  reduce  into  meal,  which  some  of  them 
call  jucha,  others,  chambi,  and  others,  igname."^ 
But  what  is  quite  as  much  to  the  point,  we  are  told 
in  the  journal  of  the  first  voyage  of  Columbus,^ 
that  "  the  king"  Guacanagari,  "  took  a  meal  on 
board  the  caravel,  and  then  went  on  shore,  accom 
panied  by  the  admiral,  whom  he  treated  with  every 
honour,  feasting  him  with  several  sorts  of  ages, 
shrimps,  game,  and  other  viands,  with  bread  which 
they  call  Cazavi." 

20.  The  yam,  igname,  (Dlascorca  Alata,)  like 
the  Banana,  appears  proper  to  all  the  equinoctial 
regions.  It  was  found  under  the  name  of  igname 
by  Alvarez  de  Cabral,  at  his  discovery  of  Brazil, 
in  1497 ;  and  by  Vespucci,  three  years  before,  on 
the  coast  of  Paria.  The  Haitian  name  was  ages, 
under  which  Columbus  describes  it,  in  the  ac 
count  of  his  first  voyage ;  and  it  is  also  that 
which  it  bore  in  the  times  of  Gacilasso,  Acosta,  and 
Oviedo,  who  have  very  well  indicated  the  charac 
ters  by  which  the  ages  are  distinguished  from  the 
batates.  The  roots  grow  very  large,  weighing 
sometimes  above  fifty  pounds ;  have  a  delicate  fla- 

*  Grynams,  p;  216.  t  Humboldt's  Mex, 

|  Boston  edition,  1827.  p,  170, 


CH.  3.]  SPANISH    DISCOVERIES.  237 

vour,  and  are  highly  nutritious*  They  are  propa 
gated  by  planting  pieces  of  the  root,  with  the  skin 
upon  them,  every  part  of  which  may  germinate. 
They  are  commonly  planted  in  August,  and  gath 
ered  in  November  or  December.  They  are  pre 
pared  for  the  table  by  boiling  or  roasting,  and  are 
more  highly  esteemed  than  the  potato,  to  which 
they  bear  some  resemblance. 
21.  The  common  pota.to,(papassolanitm  tuberosum,) 
strangely  called  sometimes,  the  Irish  potato,  though 
abounding  in  South  America,  was  not  known  in 
the  Antilles  at  the  period  of  the  discovery.  But 
the  Batates,  or  sweet  potato,  (convolvulus  batatas} 
was  carefully  cultivated,  and  formed  a  chief  article 
in  the  list  of  eatables  of  the  insular  inhabitants. 
It  has  been  naturalized  in  our  country,  and  is  so 
well  known  as  to  render  a  description  of  it,  here, 
unnecessary. 


APPENDIX. 

Note  A,  Vol.  I.  page  6. 

THE  following  account  of  the  voyage  of  Hanno,  is  literally 
translated  from  1  Geog.  Grsec.  Minor  I. 

The  Carthagenians  directed  Hanno  to  navigate  beyond  the 
columns  of  Hercules,  and  to  found  Lyby-phcenician  cities. 
Hanno  set  sail  with  a  fleet  of  sixty  ships,  of  fifty  oars  each, 
freighted  with  30,000  men,  women,  and  children,  and  with 
provisions  and  other  necessaries.  After  our  departure,  and 
having  sailed  two  days  beyond  the  columns,  we  founded  the 
city  of  Thymiaterion,  which  commands  a  vast  plain.  From 
Thymiaterion,  continuing  our  voyage  to  the  west,  we  arrived 
at  a  promontory  of  Lybia,  named  Soloe ;  it  is  covered  with 
thick  woods ;  we  there  raised  an  altar  to  Neptune.  From 
cape  Soloe,  having  sailed  a  half  day,  drawing  towards  the  east, 
we  reached  a  neighbouring  bay.  It  was  full  of  large  reeds. 
We  saw  a  multitude  of  elephants  and  other  savage  beasts  feed 
ing  upon  its  borders.  After  a  day's  sail  beyond  this  bay,  we 
founded  successively  the  following  cities,  upon  the  borders  of 
the  sea.  Caricum-Teicho?,  Gyttc,  Acra,  Melitta  and  Arambe, 
and  continuing  our  route,  we  arrived  at  the  great  river  Lixus, 
which  flows  from  Libya.  The  Lixite  shepherds  pastured  their 
flocks  on  the  borders  of  this  river.  We  sojourned  here  some 
time,  and  concluded  with  them  a  treaty  of  amity.  Beyond 
these  people  dwell  Ethiopian  savages,  in  a  country  filled  with 
wild  beasts,  and  having  high  mountains,  whence,  as  they  say, 
the  Lixus  takes  its  rise.  They  added,  that  these  mountains 
were  inhabited  by  the  Troglodytes,  a  race  of  extraordinary 
men,  who  surpassed  the  swiftness  of  horses  in  the  race.  Hav 
ing  taken  interpreters  from  the  Lixites,  we  stretched  for  two 
days  along  a  desert  shore  extending  to  the  south.  Then  turn 
ing  towards  the  east,  during  a  day's  sail,  we  found  at  the  bot 
tom  of  a  gulf  a  little  island  of  five  stadia  in  circumference, 
which  we  called  Cerne,  and  in  which  we  established  a  colony. 
At  Cerne  we  examined  the  route  which  we  had  passed  since 
our  departure,  and  reducing  it  to  a  straight  line,  we  inferred 
that  this  island  was  opposite  to  Carthage,  as  it  regards  the 
columns ;  for  our  course  from  Carthage  to  the  columns,  and 
from  the  columns  to  Cerne,  was  equal.  From  Cerne,  having 
crossed  the  mouth  of  a  large  river  named  Chretes,  we  entered 
a  bay,  in  which  we  found  three  islands  larger  than  that  of 


240  APPENDIX. 

Cern6.  We  were  unable  to  gain  the  bottom  of  this  bay,  with- 
out  a  day's  sailing.  Here  it  was  overlooked  by  high  moun 
tains,  inhabited  by  savages  clad  in  the  skins  of  wild  beasts. 
They  attacked  us  with  stones,  and  compelled  us  to  retire.  At 
length  we  entered  another  river,  deep,  wide,  and  full  of  croco 
diles  and  hippopotami.  From  thence  we  returned  to  Cerne, 
and  from  Cerne',  resuming  our  course  to  the  south,  we  sailed 
for  twelve  days  along  a  coast  inhabited  by  Ethiopians.  They 
appeared  to  avoid  us,  flying  at  our  approach.  The  language 
of  these  people  was  not  understood  by  our  interpreters,  the 
Lixites.  On  the  twelfth  day,  we  approached  some  large  moun 
tains  covered  with  odoriferous  trees,  and  of  divers  colours. 
After  having  sailed  two  days  further,  we  found  ourselves  in 
an  immense  gulf,  surrounded  by  a  plain.  During  the  night, 
we  beheld  the  light  of  many  fires,  some  large  and  others  small, 
glowing  on  all  sides.  We  replenished  our  water  at  this  place, 
and  followed  the  shores  of  the  gulf  for  five  days.  Continuing 
our  course,  we  gained  another  great  bay,  named  by  our  inter 
preters,  the  Western  Horn.  This  gulf  inclosed  an  island,  and 
that  island  a  lake  of  salt  water,  in  which  there  is  another 
island.  During  the  day  we  beheld  only  the  solitary  forests, 
but  during  the  night  we  saw  many  fires,  and  heard  the  sound 
of  flutes,  the  noise  of  cymbals  and  drums,  mingled  with  fright 
ful  cries.  We  were  terrified  by  these,  and  our  diviners  com 
manded  us  to  depart  quickly  from  this  island.  We  continued 
to  sail  along  a  burning  and  odoriferous  coast,  whence  glowing 
torrents  hastened  to  the  sea.  The  sun  on  this  shore  was  so 
scorching,  that  our  feet  were  unable  to  bear  the  heat.  We 
therefore  hastened  away ;  and  during  four  days  that  we  held 
the  sea,  the  earth  appeared  to  us  to  be  covered  with  flames 
every  night.  Amidst  these  fires  arose  one  much  larger  than 
the  others ;  it  seemed  to  reach  the  skies ;  but,  in  the  morning, 
we  perceived  only  a  high  mountain,  called  Theon  Ochema,  the 
chariot  of  the  Gods.  After  having  passed  these  torrents  of 
fire,  by  a  navigation  of  three  days,  we  reached  a  bay  called  the 
Southern  Horn.  At  the  bottom  of  this  gulf  was  an  island  simi 
lar  to  that  of  the  preceding  one ;  it  had  also  a  lake,  in  which 
was  another  island,  inhabited  by  savages :  the  women  here 
were  more  numerous  than  the  men,  and  had  their  bodies  cov 
ered  with  hair,  and  were  called  by  our  interpreters  Gorilles, 
We  were  unable  to  take  any  of  the  men,  who  fled  across  the 
precipices,  and  defended  themselves  with  stones.  We  cap 
tured,  however,  three  women ;  but,  having  broken  their  bonds, 
they  bit  and  scratched  us  with  such  fury,  that  we  killed  them, 
and  having  flayed  them,  we  bore  their  skins  to  Carthage.  The 
want  of  provisions  prevented  us  from  navigating  further. 


APPENDIX.  241 

Note  B,  Vol.  I.  page  15. 

IN  support  of  the  Norman  discovery  of  Vinland,  Malte  Brun 
cites  the  following-  authorities  : 

Snorro  Hist.  Reg.  Sept.  cap.  104.  110.  Hauk's  Bok  ou  An 
nals,  d'Islande  par  Hauk,  descendant,  d'un  premier  naviga- 
teur  au  Vinland.  II  ecrivit  vers  1'  an  1300.  Mss  cites  dans 
les  ouvrages  suivans.  Torfoei  historia  Vinlandioe  Antiquoe  Haf- 
niae,  1705.  Jonas  Arngrim  histor.  Island,  c.  9,  18.  &c.  Suhm 
sur  les  navigations  des  Norwegians  du  terns  de  Paganism, 
dans  les  Memoires  de  la  Societe  de  Copenhagen,  VIII.  80.  84. 
Comp.  Celsius  dissert,  de  itin.  in  Americam.  Upsal,  1723.  Kalm 
de,  din.  prise.  Scandin.  in  Americam.  Abo  1757. 

Forster,  who  gives  full  credit  to  the  discovery  of  Vinland, 
extracts  his  story  from  the  Chronicle  of  Snorro,  who  was  bo'rn 
in  1179,  and  wrote  in  1215,  two  centuries  after  this  discovery  is 
said  to  have  been  made.  His  facts,  he.  says,  have  been  col 
lected  from  a  great  number  of  Icelandic  manuscripts,  and 
transmitted  to  us  by  Thormond  Thorpeous,  in  his  two  works 
entitled,  Veteris  Groenlandise  Descriptio.  Hafnioe,  1706 ;  and 
Historia  Vinlandioe  Antiquae.  Hafniae,  1705.  Mr.  Washington 
Irving,  who  has  made  Columbus  his  hero,  is  sceptical  upon 
this  subject,  but  admits  that  "  there  is  no  great  improbability 
that  such  enterprizing  and  roving  voyagers  as  the  Scandina 
vians  may  have  wandered  to  the  northern  shores  of  America, 
about  the  coast  of  Labrador,  or  the  shores  of  Newfoundland, 
and  if  the  Icelandic  MSS.  said  to  be  of  the  thirteenth  century, 
can  be  relied  upon  as  genuine,  free  from  modern  interpola 
tions,  and  correctly  quoted,  they  would  appear  to  prove  the 
fact."  See  Irving's  Life  of  Columbus,  3  vol.  App.  296. 

If  the  following  account  be  true,  we  may  assert,  that  the 
southern  shores  of  America  were  known  to  some  of  the  civil 
ized  nations  of  the  Old  World,  long  before  the  Christian  era. 

"  In  the  month  of  December,  1827,  a  planter  discovered,  in 
a  field  a  short  distance  from  Monte  Video,  a  sort  of  tomb 
stone,  upon  which  strange,  and,  to  him,  unknown  signs  were 
engraved.  He  caused  this  stone,  which  covered  a  small  exca 
vation  formed  with  masonry,  to  be  raised  ;  and  beneath  it  he 
found  two  exceedingly  ancient  swords,  a  helmet,  and  a  shield, 
which  had  suffered  much  from  rust ;  and  an  earthen  amphora, 
of  large  capacity.  The  planter  caused  these,  with  the  tomb 
stone,  to  be  removed  to  Monte  Video,  where,  in  spite  of  the 
ravages  of  time,  and  the  little  care  taken  of  the  stone,  frag 
ments  of  Greek  words  could  be  easily  made  out,  read,  and 
supplied,  which,  when  translated,  are  to  the  following  purpose  : 
'  During  the  dominion  of  Alexander,  the  son  of  Philip,  king  of 
Macedon,  in  the  63d  Olymiad,  Ptolemais.'  It  was  impossible 

VOL.  II.  T 


242  APPENDIX 

to  decipher  the  rest.  On  the  handle  of  one  of  the  swords  waa 
the  portrait  of  a  man,  supposed  to  be  AJexander — on  the 
helmet  there  is  sculptured  work  that  must  have  been  ex 
ecuted  by  the  most  exquisite  skill,  representing  Achilles 
dragging  the  corpse  of  Hector  round  the  walls  of  Troy, 
(like  the  bas  relief  of  stucco  found  in  the  ruins  in  the  Via 
Appia  at  Fratocchio,  belonging  to  the  princes  of  Colonna, 
which  describes  all  the  principal  scenes  in  the  Iliad  and  Odys 
sey).  It  is  quite  clear,  from  the  discovery  of  this  kind  of  mon 
umental  altar,  that  a  contemporary  of  Aristotle  has  dug  up 
the  soil  of  Brazil  and  La  Plata.  It  is  conjectured,  that  this 
Ptolemaios  was  the  commander  of  Alexander's  fleet,  which  is 
supposed  to  have  been  overtaken  by  a  storm  in  the  Great 
Ocean,  as  the  ancients  called  it,  and  driven  off  the  coast  of 
Brazil,  where  it  erected  the  above-mentioned  monument,  to 
preserve  the  memory  of  the  voyage  to  so  distant  a  country. 
At  all  events,  this  discovery  furnishes  a  fact  deserving  the  at 
tention  of  antiquarians. — From  the  Journal  de  Voyages  et  Ar 
chives  Geographiques.  1828. 

If  this  story  be  not  purely  fictitious,  it  is  probable  that  the 
tomb  and  arms  were  of  Spanish  or  Portuguese  origin,  and  ap 
pertained  to  some  one  of  the  invaders  from  either  nation.  The 
art  of  "  making  out,  reading,  and  supplying"  ancient  inscrip 
tions,  is  so  much  the  creature  of  imagination,  that  faith  in  its 
productions  must  be  rare.  Were  this  a  Grecian  monument, 
of  the  period  mentioned,  ancient  history  would  have  conveyed 
to  us  some  memorial  of  the  voyage  which  it  is  supposed  it  was 
designed  to  record.  Had  the  vessels  and  their  crews  engaged 
in  this  voyage  perished  on  their  return,  so  that  no  knowledge 
of  their  discovery  could  reach  their  homes,  still  some  evidence 
of  the  inception  of  their  undertaking  would  have  remained 
to  us. 


Note  C,  Vol.  I.  page  45. 

ASCENDING  from  the  shores  of  the  Mediterranean  into  the 
kingdom  of  Valencia,  towards  the  lofty  plains  of  La  Mancha 
and  the  Castiles,  we  seem  to  recognize  far  inland,  from  the 
lengthened  declivities,  the  ancient  coast  of  the  Peninsula. 
This  curious  phenomenon  recalls  the  traditions  of  the  Samo- 
thracians,  and  other  historical  testimonies,  according  to  which 
it  is  supposed,  that  the  irruption  of  the  waters  through  the 
Dardanelles,  augmenting  the  basin  of  the  Mediterranean,  rent 
and  overflowed  the  southern  part  of  Europe.  If  we  admit  that 
these  traditions  owe  their  origin,  not  to  mere  theological  reve 
ries,  but  to  the  remembrance  of  some  ancient  catastrophe,  we 


APPENDIX.  243 

see  the  central  elevated  plain  of  Spain  resisting  the  effects  of 
these  great  inundations,  till  the  draining  of  the  waters,  by  the 
straits  formed  between  the  pillars  of  Hercules,  brought  the 
Mediterranean  progressively  to  its  present  level,  while  lower 
Egypt  emerged  above  its  surface  on  one  side,  and  the  fertile 
plains  of  Tarragon,  Valencia,  and  Murcia,  on  the  other.  Every 
thing  which  relates  to  the  formation  of  this  sea,*  which  has 
had  so  powerful  an  influence  on  the  first  civilization  of  man 
kind,  is  highly  interesting.  We  might  suppose  that  Spain, 
forming  a  promontory  amidst  the  waves,  was  indebted  for  its 
preservation  to  the  height  of  its  land ;  but,  in  order  to  give 
weight  to  these  systematic  ideas,  we  must  clear  up  the  doubts 
that  have  arisen  respecting  the  rupture  of  so  many  transverse 
dykes ;  we  must  discuss  the  probability  of  the  Mediterranean 
having  been  formerly  divided  into  several  separate  basins,  of 
which  Sicily  and  the  Isle  of  Crete  appear  to  mark  the  ancient 
limits.  We  will  not  here  risk  the  solution  of  these  problems, 
but  will  satisfy  ourselves  in  fixing  the  attention  on  the  striking 
contrast,  in  the  configuration  of  the  land  in  the  eastern  and 
western  extremities  of  Europe.  Between  the  Baltic  and  the 
Black  Sea,  the  ground  is  at  present  scarce  fifty  toises  above 
the  level  of  the  ocean,  while  the  plain  of  La  Mancha,  if  placed 
between  the  sources  of  the  Niemen  and  Borysthenes,  would 
figure  as  a  group  of  mountains  of  considerable  height.  If  the 
causes  which  may  have  changed  the  surface  of  our  planet,  be 
an  interesting  speculation,  investigations  of  the  phenomena, 
such  as  they  offer  themselves  to  the  measures  and  observations 
of  the  naturalist,  lead  to  a  far  greater  certainty. — Humboldt's 
Personal  Narrative,  1  vol.  page  20. 

*  Diod.  Sicul.  lib.  4.  c.  18.  Lib.  5.  c.  47.  Dionys.  Halicarn.  lib.  1. 
c.  61.  Aristot.  Meteorolog.  lib.  1.  c.  14.  t.  1.  H.  Strabo.  Geogr.  t. 
1.  (Tournefort  Voyage  au  Levant,  p.  124.  Pallas,  Voyage  en  Rus- 
sie,  t.  5.  p.  195.  Choiseul  Gouffier,  Voyage  Pittoresque,  t.  II.  p.  116. 
Dereau  de  la  Malle,  Geographic  Physique  de  la  Mer  Noire,  p.  157. 
196  et.  341.  Olivier,  Voyage  en  Perse,  t.  III.  p.  130.  Meiners  uber  die 
Verschiedenheiten,  p.  118.  Some  of  the  ancient  geographers,  such  as 
Erastosthenes  and  Strabo,  believed  that  the  Mediterranean,  swelled  by 
the  waters  of  the  Euxine,  the  Palus  Meotis,  the  Caspian  Sea,  and  the 
lake  Aral,  had  broken  the  pillars  of  Hercules;  others,  such  as  Pompo- 
nius  Mela,  admitted  that  the  irruption  was  made  by  the  waters  of  the 
ocean.  In  the  first  of  these  hypotheses,  the  height,  of  the  land  between 
the  Black  Sga  and  the  Baltic,  and  between  the  ports  of  Cette  and 
Bourdeaux,  determine  the  limit,  which  the  accumulation  of  the  waters 
may  have  reached  before  the  junction  of  the  Black  Sea,  the  Mediterra 
nean,  and  the  ocean,  as  well  on  the  north  of  the  Dardanelles,  as  to  the 
east  of  the  strip  of  land  which  formerly  joined  Europe  to  Mauritania; 
and  of  which,  in  the  time  of  Strabo,  certain  vestiges  remained  in  the 
islands  of  Juno,  and  the  Moon. 


244  APPENDIX. 

Note  D,  Vol.  I.  page  46. 

PLATO,  in  his  dialogue  entitled  Tymseus,  informs  us,  that 
whilst  an  infant,  he  heard  his  grandfather,  Critias,  who  in 
his  youth  had  been  instructed  by  Solon,  the  friend  of  Dro- 
pydas,  his  father,  relate  the  following  circumstances :  Solon 
had  travelled  into  Egypt,  whence  he  drew  his  knowledge  and 
his  philosophy.  He  was  favourably  received  by  certain  priests 
of  Sais,  a  city  of  the  Delta,  the  inhabitants  of  which  believed 
themselves  to  have  sprung  from  the  Athenians,  and  had  pre 
served  amongst  them  their  lance,  their  sword,  and  buckler. 
One  of  these  priests,  versed  in  science  and  learned  in  antiqui 
ties,  cried  out,  "  Solon  !  Solon  !  you  Greeks  are  yet  infants ; — 
there  is  not  an  old  man  among  you.  You  are  ignorant  of  that 
which  js  passed,  not  only  here,  but  amongst  yourselves.  We 
have  preserved  the  history  of  eight  thousand  years  written  in 
our  sacred  books ;  we  are  able  to  mount  still  higher,  and  to 
speak  of  the  most  brilliant  actions  of  your  fathers,  performed 
nine  thousand  years  since.  You  have  knowledge  only  of  one 
deluge ;  but  that  has  been  preceded  by  many  others.  It  is  a 
long  time  since  Athens  has  subsisted,  and  that  her  name  has 
been  famous  in  Egypt." 

"  Learn,  then,  that,  by  resisting  a  power  sprung  from  the 
Atlantic  Sea,  your  republic  preserved  our  liberty.  This  sea 
was  then  navigable,  and  surrounded  not  far  from,  and  opposite, 
the  strait,  which  you  call  in  your  language  the  columns  of 
Hercules,  an  island  more  vast  than  Asia  and  Libya  together ; 
between  it  and  the  continent  there  were  also  some  smaller 
islands.  This  enormous  country  was  called  Atlantis.  It  was 
populous  and  flourishing,  governed  by  powerful  kings,  who 
possessed  themselves  of  Libya  and  Egypt,  and  of  all  Europe 
as  far  as  Tyrenie.  They  endeavoured  to  subject  all  the  prov 
inces  situated  on  this  side  of  the  pillars  of  Hercules,  and  we 
were  all  slaves.  It  was*then,  that  the  people  of  your  republic 
showed  themselves  superior  to  all  other  mortals.  You  con 
ducted  your  fleets  against  the  conquerers ;  your  knowledge  in 
the  art  of  war  seconded  you  in  this  pressing  danger ;  you  con 
quered  the  enemy,  and  delivered  us  from  servitude.  But  a 
greater  evil  awaited  the  Atlantides.  In  latter  times,  there  hap 
pened  earthquakes  and  inundations,  by  which  the  Atlantic 
island  was  overwhelmed — their  warriors,  and  a  continent  more 
vast  than  Europe  and  Asia  together,  disappeared  in  the  space 
of  a  night.  For  this  reason,  the  sea  which  we  find  there  is  no 
longer  navigable,  or  known  to  any  person,  it  consisting  of 
slime,  occasioned  by  the  submerged  earth."  In  his  dialogue 
eutitlcd  Critias,  Plato  resumes  this  subject,  and  gives  an  ac- 


APPENDIX.  245 

count  of  the  population  of  the  country,  and  of  the  source  from 
which  it  was  derived.  In  the  partition  of  the  earth  amongst 
the  Gods,  the  isle  of  Atlantis  fell  to  Neptune,  who  peopled  it, 
and  divided  it  among  his  children,  of  whom  Atlas,  the  eldest, 
had  the  greatest  share.  This  king  gave  his  name  to  the  whole 
country.  Never  had  prince  more  learning  or  more  wealth, 
nor  transmitted  more  to  his  heirs.  The  island,  which  was 
3000  stadia  in  length,  and  2000  in  width,  of  an  oblong  form, 
abounded  in  every  thing.  The  forests  supplied  wood  for  every 
species  of  building ;  the  earth  nourished  all  sorts  of  animals, 
wild  and  tame,  and  terminated  at  the  north  in  a  chain  of 
mountains,  which,  as  well  as  all  those  of  the  country,  which 
Plato  calls  fertile,  fine,  healthy,  and  wonderful,  produced  all 
sorts  of  metals,  above  all,  gold  and  oxicalque,  now  unknown. 


Note  E,  Vol.  I.  page  96. 

I  HAVE  adopted  the  accounts  of  the  early  historians,  in  rela 
tion  to  the  islands  first  visited  by  Columbus.  M.  de  Navarette, 
in  his  introduction  to  the  "  Collection  of  Spanish  Voyages  and 
Discoveries,"  has  endeavoured  to  show,  that  the  first  island 
visited  by  Columbus  was  Turks  Island,  (San  Salvador) ;  the 
second,  the  Cayco  del  Norte,  (Conception),  and  the  third,  Ina- 
gua  Chiea,  (Fernandina) ;  the  fourth,  Inagua  Grande,  (Isa 
bella).  This  new  version  of  Columbus's  journal  has  been  ably 
examined  and  repudiated  by  Mr.  Irving,  in  the  illustrations  to 
the  Life  of  Columbus,  No.  XVI.  Vol.  4.  229.  The  views  of  the 
early  historians  are  confirmed  by  a  skilful  analysis  of  the 
journal  of  the  admiral,  and  a  comparison  of  its  descriptions 
with  the  actual  state  of  the  islands  of  San  Salvador,  Concep 
tion,  &c. 


Note  F,  Vol.  I.  page  139. 

THE  discussions  concerning  the  boundaries  between  the 
courts  of  Madrid  and  Portugal,  have  continued  during  three 
centuries.  They  at  first  touched  only  upon  maritime  inter 
ests,  the  possession  of  islands  and  coasts ;  but  subsequently 
extended  to  the  interior  of  South  America.  The  bull  of  pope 
Alexander  Gth,  May  4th,  1493,  is  similar  in  spirit  to  that  less 
known,  issued  in  1445,  at  the  instance  of  prince  Henry,  in 
favour  of  Portugal.  The  line  of  demarcation  is  described 
confusedly  enough,  at  centum  leucas  a  qualibet  insularum  qu<e 
vulgariter,  nuncupantur  dclas  Azores  y  Cabo  Verde.  Cardinal 
Bembo,  who,  in  his  classical  style,  proscribes  all  new  denomi- 


246  APPENDIX. 

nations,  simply  says,  Gorgonum  insul<z,  no  doubt  (Pliny,  ac 
cording  to  Xenophon  de  Lampsaco,  lib.  6.  c.  31.    Mela,  lib.  3. 
c.  9.)  the  Gorgades,  (domus  ut  aiunt  aliquando  Gorgonum}  op 
posite  to  the   Byssadium  Prornontarium.     The  island  of  St. 
Anthony  is  certainly  in  the  meridian  of  the  island  of  San  Mi 
chael,  but  there  are  8  dcg.  of  longitude  from  the  meridian  of 
the  most  western  island  to  the  meridian  of  the  most  eastern  of 
the  Azores.     A  new  bull  of  the  24th  November,  1493,  leaves 
the  same  doubts ;  but  in  the  treaty  of  Tordesillas,  (June  7, 
1494,)  the  meridian  of  the  demarcation  was  carried  to  370 
leagues,  instead  of  100,  from  the  Cape  Verd  Islands.     The 
measure  of  the  league  not  having  been  indicated,  the  linea 
divisoria  reaches,  according  to  the  different  hypotheses,  the 
mouth  of  the  Rio  Francisco,  or  Rio  Janeiro,  or  the  meridian 
of  St.  Paul,  which  is  still  placed  1  deg.  to  the  east  of  Grand 
Para.     Pope  Julian  sanctioned  the  treaty  of  Tordesillas,  by  a 
bull  issued  January  24,  1506.     But  the  voyages  of  Magellan, 
Vincent  Yanez  Pinzon,  Amerigo  Vespuccius,  and  others,  1500 
— 1504,  engaged  the  courts  of  Madrid  and  Lisbon  to  assemble, 
in  1524,  the  congress  of  pilots  and  cosmographers  at  the  bridge 
of  Rio  Caya,  between  Yelves  and  Badajoz.     The  disputes  be 
tween  the  two  nations  respecting  the  possessions  of  the  Ar 
chipelago  of  India,  only  were  settled  by  a  treaty  at  Saragossa, 
the  22d  April,  1529,  by  which  the   Molucca   islands  were 
awarded  to  Spain  ;  who  afterwards  ceded  them  to  Portugal  for 
350,000  ducats,  reserving  the  right  to  repossess  them,  when 
she  should  return  the  purchase-money.    The  union  of  the  two 
crowns  under  Philip  II.  precluded  discussion  for  some  time ; 
but  from  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century,  the  establishment 
of  La  Colonia  de  San  Sacramento  near  the  mouth  of  the  Rio 
de  la  Plata,  gave  rise  to  disputes  relative  to  the  Brazilian  limits. 
The  Spaniards  destroyed  this  settlement.     A  new  congress  of 
cosmographers  was  assembled  at  Puente  de  Caya,  in  Novem 
ber,  1681,  but  separated  without  deciding  on  any  thing.    Dur 
ing  the  reign  of  Charles  II.,  the  Portuguese  gained  every 
where  upon  their  neighbours  in  America,  on  the  side  of  Para 
guay,  on  the  banks  of  the  Amazon,  and  on  the  Rio  Negro. 
Efforts  for  settling  this  questio  vexata  were  made  in  1754,  by 
an  expedition  under  Don  Joseph  de  Yturiaga,  in  which  Don 
Joseph   Solano  was    engaged  as  one  of  the    commissioners, 
which  proved  fruitless.     A  treaty  was  made  at  Madrid,  Jan 
uary  12,  1750,  which  designated  the  limits  between  Brazil, 
Buenos  Ayres,  and  Peru,  by  a  ridge  of  mountains,  and  the 
course  of  the  rivers.     The  convention  of  1750  was  renewed 
and  confirmed  at  Madrid,  October  11,  1777,  but  the  execution 
of  stipulations  made  without  local  knowledge,  and  founded  on 


APPENDIX:  247 

very  imperfect  maps,  was  attended  with  great  difficulties. 
Nothing  more  was  attempted  on  the  side  of  the  Oroonoko  and 
the  Rio  Negro :  the  whole  attention  of  the  two  courts  was  di 
rected  towards  the  limits  of  Paraguay,  and  the  banks  of  the 
Caqueta,  the  Rio  Blanco,  and  the  Amazon.  The  Brigadier 
Don  Jose  Varela,  was  sent  (1782 — 1789)  to  Monte  Video  ;  M. 
de  Azara  to  Paraguay  ;  and  M.  Requena  to  Maynas.  But,  the 
commission  was  dissolved  by  the  court  of  Madrid  in  1801,  and 
no  definite  results  have  flowed  from  it. — A.  de  Humboldfs  Pet- 
sonal  Narrative. 


Note  G,  Vol.  I.  page  203. 

"  THE  waters  which  issue  so  impetuously  from  the  Bocas  de 
Dragos  are,  1st,  Those  of  the  Atlantic  ocean,  the  currents  of 
which  run  towards  the  coast  of  Guyana,  through  the  Canal  del 
Sur,  (between  Punta  de  Mangles  of  the  continent,  and  Punta 
Galiota  of  the  island  of  Trinidad,)  west-northwest ;  2d,  The 
fresh  waters  of  the  Bochas  Chicas  of  the  Oroonoko,  (of  the 
Canos  Pedernales  and  Manamo  grande  joined  with  that  of  the. 
great  Rio  Guarapiche.)  It  cannot  be  doubted  that  the  gulf  of 
Paria  formed  heretofore  an  inland  basin,  when  the  island  of 
Trinidad  was  still  united  on  the  north  to  cape  Paria,  and  on 
the  southwest  (Punta  de  Icacos)  to  the  Punto  Foleta,  situate 
east  of  the  Boca  de  Pedernales.  Three  small  rocky  islands, 
partly  cultivated  with  cotton,  (Mas  de  Monos,  de  Huebos,  and 
Cbacachacares,)  divide  the  passage,  which  is  three  or  four 
leagues  broad,  (between  the  northwest  cape  of  the  island  of 
Trinidad,  near  the  port  of  Chaguaramas,  and  the  Punta  de  la 
Pena,  the  eastern  extremity  of  the  coast  of  Paria,)  into  four 
small  channels ;  Boca  de  Monos,  B.  de  Huelos,  B.  de  Narios 
and  B.  Grande.  These  mouths,  collectively,  are  called  Bocas 
de  Dragos.  There  are  some  other  small  islands  nearer  the 
eastern  coast  of  Paria,  (El  Fraile,  Ei  Pato,  and  El  Patito,)  the 
existence  of  which  attests  the  convulsions  to  which  this  coun 
try  has  been  exposed." Humboldfs  Personal  Narrative, 

Vol.  5. 


Note  H,  Vol.  I.  page  206. 

THE  following  note  is  extracted  from  the  Personal  Narra 
tive  of  A.  de  Humholdt's  Travels  in  America,  Vol.  3.  p.  303. 
Eng.  Trans.  London. 

When  Christopher  Columbus  returned  from  his  third  voy 
age,  a  vague  report  wns  sprond  throughout  Europf,  tlint  ho 


248  APPENDIX. 

had  discovered,  by  certain  movements  of  the  polar  star,  that 
the  coast  of  Paria,  and  the  neighbouring  sea,  were  elevated 
like  a  vast  table-land ;  that  the  earth  was  not  perfectly  round, 
but  that,  (in  the  western  countries,)  it  had  a  rising  toward  the 
equator;  that  travellers  ascended,  in  going  from  Cadiz  to  the 
peninsula  of  Paria ;  and  that,  owing  to  the  greater  elevation 
of  these  lands,  Paria  had  a  less  burning  climate,  and  a  race  of 
men  less  darkly  coloured,  than  those  of  Africa.  These  singu 
lar  hypotheses  are  mentioned  by  all  the  historians  of  that  time. 
(Pet.  Martyr,  Ocean,  Dec.  1.  lib.  vii.  p.  77.  Gomara,  Hist. 
Gen.  cap.  viii.  p.  110.  Herrara,  Dec.  1.  lib.  vii.  c.  12.) 

But  what  observation  of  the  polar  star  could  induce  Colum 
bus  to  adopt  such  strange  ideas  ?  Ferdinand  Columbus  ex 
plains  this,  in  the  life  of  his  father,  (Churchill's  Collec.  Vol. 
2.  p.  583.)  The  admiral  had  observed  in  the  latitude  of  the 
Azores  the  meridian  altitude  of  the  polar  star  above  and  below 
the  pole.  The  difference  of  these  two  altitudes  was  5°,  and 
this  gave  2°  30'  for  the  distance  of  the  star  from  the  pole ; 
while,  by  a  trigonometric  calculation,  it  ought  to  have  been  at 
that  time  3°  24'  30".  There  was  an  error,  therefore,  of  54' 
minus,  Columbus  judged  of  the  passage  of  the  star  over  the 
meridian,  'by  the  position  of  the  great  bear.  When  the  wain 
was  east  or  west,  he  considered  it  as  indicating  the  passage  of 
the  star  over  the  meridian ;  but  this  indication  being  very  un 
certain,  Columbus  was  not  sure  of  observing  when  the  polar 
star  was  in  the  meridian ;  the  inferior  altitude  must  have  been 
too  great,  and  the  superior  too  little  ;  and  this  explains  why- 
Columbus  found  a  difference  of  5°  only  between  the  two  alti 
tudes. 

Under  the  torrid  zone,  at  about  7°  or  8°  of  N.  Lat.,  he  found 
the  pole-star  11°  above  the  horizon,  at  its  superior  meridian, 
and  only  6°  when  it  was  in  declination,  or  at  the  altitude  of  the 
pole,  which  gave  him  a  polar  distance  of  5°.  Here  Columbus 
supposed  again,  that  the  pole-star  was  in  the  superior  merid 
ian,  when  the  wain  was  in  the  west ;  but  as  he  could  not  per 
ceive  the  pole-star  at  its  inferior  meridian,  because  it  was  too 
low,  he  observed  the  altitude  when  the  wain  was  in  the  supe 
rior  meridian,  and  indicated  the  declination  of  the  star.  The 
pole-star  appeared  to  him  again  at  the  latitude  of  9°,  when  the 
wain  was  in  the  inferior  meridian,  and  consequently  not  visi 
ble,  because  of  the  small  elevation  of  the  pole. 

If  the  constellation  did  not  indicate  with  precision  the  pas 
sages  of  the  pole  star  over  the  meridian,  it  appears  that  the  in 
dications  it  gave  of  the  delineations  were  still  less  exact ;  for 
it  is  very  probable,  that  Columbus  took  the  altitude  of  the  pole 
fitar  when  it  was  below  the  declination  and  the  pole,  and  there- 


APPENDIX.  249 

fore  found  too  small  an  altitude,  and  a  polar  distance  of  5°,  in- 
stead  of  2°  30',  which  he  had  deduced  from  his  observations  in 
the  Azores. 

In  order  to  explain  so  great  a  difference,  he  imagined,  that 
the  earth  had  the  form,  not  of  a  pin-cushion,  but  a  pear ;  and 
that  mariners  ascended  prodigiously  towards  the  sky,  in  going 
from  the  Azores  to  Paria,  where  the  circle  described  by  the 
pole  star  must  appear  very  large,  because  it  was  seen  from  a 
nearer  place.  "  Though  I  am  not,"  says  he,  "  quite  master  of 
my  explanation,  the  star  appears  in  its  full  orbit  at  the  equa 
tor,  while  the  nearer  we  approach  the  pole  the  more  this  orbit 
diminishes,  because  of  the  obliquity  of  the  sky."  All  this  is 
not  calculated  to  give  us  a  favourable  idea  of  the  astronomical 
knowledge  of  Columbus.  Is  it  possible  that  so  great  a  man 
had  not  more  rational  notions  of  the  distance  and  apparent 
motions  of  the  stars  ?  The  admiral  relater,  that  while  he  was 
at  Paria,  he  had  an  inflammation  in  the  eyes.  Perhaps  he 
observed  worse  than  usual,  or  entered  in  his  journal  the  obser 
vations  of  his  pilots.  Perhaps,  too,  the  son  has  given  a  con 
fused  account  of  the  ideas  of  his  father.  Gomara  blames  the 
admiral  for  having  imagined  that  Paria  is  nearer  the  sky  than 
Spain.  "  The  earth,"  says  he,  "  is  round,  and  not  of  the  figure 
of  a  pear."  This  false  opinion  of  Columbus  has  maintained 
its  ground  to  our  own  days,  and  ma,kes  some  unlearned  pilots 
believe,  that,  from  India  and  Paria  to  Spain,  they  descend  to 
come  to  Europe.  P.  Martyr  also  judges  the  admiral  with 
great  severity.  "  Qua  de  poll  carietate  rffert  Colonus,  contra 
omnium  astro nomwum  sententiam  prolata  vidcntur." 


Note  I,  Vol.  II.  page  61. 

IT  has  been  the  fortune  of  Amerigo  Vespucci,  to  have  his  name 
given  to  the  northern  and  southern  continents  of  the  New  World. 
An  honour  which  he  certainly  could  not  have  anticipated,  nnd 
which  has  grown  out  of  a  fraud  on  his  part,  or,  more  probably, 
from  the  mistake  of  some  editor  of  an  account  which  he  wrote  of 
his  voyage. 

Amerigo  Vespucci  was  born  in  Florence,  March  9lh,  1451,  of  a 
noble,  but  not  wealthy  family;  and  received  an  excellent  educa 
tion  under  his  uncle,' G.  Antonio  Vespucci,  a  learned  friar  of  the 
fraternity  of  San  Marco,  who  was  the  instructor  of  several  illus 
trious  persons  of  that  period.  He  entered  into  commerce,  and 
visited  Spain  in  the  service  of  the  family  of  Medici,  somewhere 
abr>ut  the  time  of  Colum bus's  return  from  his  first  voyage.  One 
of  his  biographers  has  erroneously  stated,  that  he  accompanied  tlio 
admiral  in  his  second  voyage,  (Canovaf).  Another  writer  (Sebas- 


250 


APPENDIX. 


tian  Munster)  says  he  was  the  companion  of  the  first     But  he  ha» 
not  himself  alleged  his  presence  in  eilher. 

In  1496,  he  was  the  agent  of  the  house  of  Juanoto  Berardi,  a 
rich  Florentine  merchant,  resident  in  Seville,  who  had  contracted 
to  furnish  the  Spanish  sovereigns  wilh  several  armaments,  for  the 
service  of  the  newly  discovered  countries.  During  this  agency, 
he  became  acquainted  with  Columbus,  and  imbibed  from  him  the 
passion  for  discovery,  which  he  first  indulged  in  1499,  in  company 
•with  Alonzo  de  Ojeda.  Their  squadron  visited  Paria,  and  ran 
several  hundred  miles  along  its  coast,  ascertaining  it  to  be  Terra 
Firma.  After  his  return,  he,  on  the  18th  July,  1500,  wrote  an  ac 
count  of  his  voyage  to  Lorenzo  de  Pier  Francisco  de  Medici,  of 
Florence,  which  remained  concealed  in  manuscript  until  publish 
ed  by  Bandini,  in  1745.  In  this  letter,  he  names  no  one  as  con 
cerned  with  him  in  the  enterprize.  In  May,  1501,  he  sailed  in  the 
service  of  Emanuel,  king  of  Portugal,  and  visited  the  coast  of  Bra 
zil-  He  wrote  an  account  of  this  voyage  also,  to  the  same  person, 
which  was  first  published  in  1789.  (Bartolozzi.  Recherche  Histori- 
ywe.)  And  in  1504,  he  addressed  to  him  a  more  extended  account 
of  the  Brazil  voyage,  which  was  soon  afterwards  printed,  and 
widely  circulated. 

In  May,  1503,  he  sailed  in  the  Portuguese  service,  as  captain  of 
a  caravel,  in  a  squadron  of  six  vessels,  commanded  by  Gonzalo 
Coelho,  destined  for  the  Moluccas.  Their  course  from  Sierra 
Leone  was  directed  to  the  southwest.  Three  degrees  south  of  the 
line,  he  lost  his  vessel  upon  an  uninhabited  island.  Whilst  the 
other  vessels  were  employed  in  rendering  assistance  to  the  wreck, 
Vespucci  was  dispatched  to  seek  a  safe  harbour  in  the  island.  He 
found  one,  but  waited  in  vain  for  several  days  for  the  other  ships. 
Standing  out  to  sea,  he  met  with  a  single  vessel,  and  learned  that 
the  ship  of  Coelho  had  sunk,  and  that  the  rest  had  proceeded  on 
their  voyage.  In  company  with  this  vessel  he  stood  for  the  Bra 
zils,  according  to  a  command  of  the  king,  in  case  any  vessel  should 
be  parted  from  the  fleet.  He  discovered  the  bay  of  All  Saints,  ran 
two  hundred  and  sixty  leagues  further  south,  where  he  built  a 
fort,  in  which  he  left  a  garrison  of  twenty-four  men.  He  returned 
to  Lisbon  in  June,  1504. 

He  soon  after  sought  employment  in  Spain,  and  he  visited  the 
court  of  Ferdinand  in  1505,  as  an  agent  on  the  part  of  Columbus. 
He  was  engaged,  together  wilh  Pinzon,  to  command  an  expedition 
to  be  sent  out  in  the  spice-trade.  But  this  having  been  abandoned, 
in  1508  he  was  appointed  principal  pilot,  an  office  in  which  his 
chief  duties  were  to  prepare  charls,  examine  pilots,  superintend 
the  fitting  out  of  expeditions,  &c.  In  the  exercise  of  this  office  he 
died,  on  the  22d  February,  1512. 

Shortly  after  his  return  from  his  last  voyage  to  Brazil,  he  ad 
dressed  a  letter,  dated  4th  September,  1504,  to  Rene,  duke  of  Lor 
raine,  who  assumed  the  title  of  king  of  Sicily  and  Jerusalem,  con 
taining  a  spirited  narrative  of  four  voyages,  which  he  asserts  he 
made  to  the  New  World.  He  has  been  considered  as  the  first 
discoverer  of  the  continent  of  America,  by  reason  of  his  visit 
to  Brazil  and  to  Paria;  and  as  such,  his  name  was  first  given  to 
the  coast  of  Brazil.  A  duplicate  of  this  letter  was  sent  to  Pierre 


APPENDIX.  251 

Soderini,  afterwards  Gonfalonier,  of  Florence ;  but  it  was  not  pub 
lished  until  1510.  The  claim  made  for  him  as  the  first  discoverer 
of  Brazil,  is  directly  opposed  to  the  fact,  that  that  country  was 
visited  and  taken  possession  of  for  Spain,  in  1500,  by  Pinzon  ;  and 
also  in  the  same  year  by  Cabral,  on  the  part  of  Portugal.  He  de 
scribes  two  voyages  to  Paria;  one  in  1497,  the  other  in  1499; 
occupying  eighteen  months.  The  first  is  the  great  point  in  contro 
versy.  In  favour  of  it  stands  the  isolated  statement  of  Vespucci  ; 
against  it,  there  is  an  overwhelming  mass  of  unimpeachable  evi 
dence.  1.  In  his  letter  to  Lorenzo  de  Medici,  describing  the  voy 
age  of  1499,  there  is  no  allusion  whatever  to  a  prior  one.  2.  I\o 
record  of  such  a  voyage  has  been  found,  after  due  search  in  the 
naval  archives  of  Spain.  3.  At  the  time  he  says  he  made  this 
voyage,  he  had  not  been  naturalized  in  Spain,  without  which  he 
could  not  have  obtained  the  command  of  which  he  speaks.  4.  The 
right  of  Columbus  as  the  first  discoverer  of  Paria  was  rigidly  in 
vestigated  in  1508,  on  the  application  of  his  son,  Don  Diego,  for  the 
government  under  the  capitulations  with  the  sovereigns;  and  not 
only  was  conclusive  proof  given  of  the  priority  of  the  admiral's 
visit,  but  no  claim  was  set  up  for  Vespucci,  then  resident  in  Se 
ville,  by  himself,  or  by  any  for  him.  His  account,  therefore,  of  the 
voyage  in  1497,  appears  to  have  been  fabricated,  (with  what  view- 
it  is  difficult  to  conjecture,)  by  taking  and  altering  a  number  of  the 
incidents  from  the  voyage  which  he  really  made  with  Ojeda,  in 
1499.  In  support  of  this  charge,  various  coincidences  have  been 
pointed  out  between  the  alleged  voyage  of  1497,  and  that  describ 
ed  in  his  first  letter  to  Lorenzo  Medici,  as  having  been  made  in 
1499. 

But  no  plausible  motive  has  been  assigned  for  this  gross  decep 
tion.  He  could  not  expect  to  gain  thereby  the  repute  of  having 
first  discovered  the  continent,  since,  at  the  time  the  account  was 
written,  it  was  universally  believed  that  Columbus  had  discovered 
the  main  land  in  his  first  voyage;  Cuba  being  considered  the  ex 
tremity  of  the  continent.  He  did  not  himself  give  his  name  to  any 
country.  This  was  originally  proposed  by  the  editor  of  his  lettef 
to  king  Rene,  published  at  St.  Diez,  in  Lorraine,  in  1507,  who  sug 
gests,  that  the  fourth  part  of  the  world  should  be  called  Ame.rigo, 
or  America,  after  Vespucci,  whom  he  ignorantly  imagined  its  dis 
coverer.  He  could  not  have  been  excited  by  ill-will  towards  Co 
lumbus,  for  he  was  on  terms  of  amity  with  him  at  the  lime  of  his 
death:  nor  was  the  deception  designed  to  injure  his  heirs,  since  no 
use  was  attempted  to  be  made  of  it.  Under  these  circumstances 
it  has  been  questioned,  whether  Vespucci  ever  designed  or  com 
mitted  the  fraud.  It  is  supposed,  that  the  objectionable  part  of  his 
narrative  is  the  result  of  the  ignorance  or  knavery  of  ils  editors. 
Against  this  view  of  the  subject,  there  appears  some  serious  obsia- 
cles,  among  which  we  may  mention,  that  the  letter  to  king  Rene, 
and  the  duplicate  to  Soderini,  have  the  same  form  and  siatement; 
and  that  both  were  published  during  the  life-time  of  Vespucci, 
without  contradiction  or  comment.  t 

The  name  of  America  was  at  first  given  to  a  small  portion  of 
the  continent.  It  covered  the  remainder  as  discover)'  progressed, 


252  APPENDIX. 

until  at  length  it  is  borne  as  the  nomen  generalissimum  of  the  New 
World. 

See,  for  further  information  on  the  subject  of  this  note,  4th  vol. 
Irving's  Columbus,  note  Amerigo  Vespucci,  from  which  I  have 
taken  the  chief  part  of  the  foregoing;  and  the  North  American  Re 
view  for  April,  1821,  article  Amerigo  Vespucci.  The  reviewers 
maintain  the  integrity  of  Vespuccius,  and  the  probability  of  the 
voyage  alleged  to  have  been  made  by  him  in  1497. 


Note  K,  Vol.  II.  page  38. 

THIS  was  probably  the  Mauritia-palm,  of  which  M.  de  Hum- 
boldt  speaks,  when  treating  of  the  marshes  of  the  Oronoco. 
"This  is  the  Sago-tree  of  the  country:  it  yields  the  flour  of  which 
the  Yurama-bread  is  made;  and,  far  from  being  a  palm-tree  of  the 
shore,  like  the  chamcerojjs  hitmilis,  the  common  cocoa-tree,  and  the 
lodoicea  of  Commerson,  is  found  as  a  palm-tree  of  the  marshes,  as 
far  as  the  sources  of  the  Oroonoko.  In  the  seasons  of  inundations, 
these  clumps  of  Mauritia,  with  their  leaves  in  form  of  a  fan,  have 
the  appearance  of  a  forest  rising  from  the  bosom  of  the  waters. 
The  navigator,  in  proceeding  along  the  channels  of  ibe  delta  of  the 
Oronooko  at  night,  sees  with  surprise  the  summit  of  the  palm-trees 
illumined  by  large  fires.  These  are  the  habitations  of  the  Guara- 
ons,  (Tivitivas  and  Waraweties  of  Raleigh,)  which  are  suspended 
from  the  trunks  of  trees.  These  tribes  hang  up  mals  in  the  air, 
which  they  fill  wiih  earth,  and  kindle,  on  a  layer  of  moist  clay, 
the  fire  necessary  for  their  household  wants.  They  have  owed 
their  liberty  and  their  political  independence,  for  ages,  to  the  quak 
ing  and  swampy  soil,  which  they  pass  over  in  time  of  drought,  and 
on  which  they  alone  know  how  to  walk  in  security,  to  their  soli 
tude  in  the  delta  of  the  Oroonoko,  to  their  abode  on  the  trees.  This 
palm,  the  tree  of  life  of  the  missionaries,  not  only  affords  the  Gua- 
raons  a  safe  dwelling  during  the  risings  of  the  Oroonoko,  but  its 
shelly  fruit,  its  farinaceous  pith,  its  juice  abounding  in  saccharine 
matter,  and  the  fibres  of  its  petioles,  furnish  them  with  food,  wine, 
and  thread,  proper  for  making  cords  and  weaving  hammocks. 
These  cusioms  of  the  Indians  of  the  Delta  of  the  Oroonoko,  were 
found  formerly  in  the  gulf  of  Darien,  (Uraba,)  and  in  the  greater 
part  of  the  inundated  lands  between  Guarapiche  and  the  mouths 
of  the  Amazon.  It  is  curious  to  observe,  in  the  lowest  degree  of 
human  civilization,  the  existence  of  a  whole  tribe  depending  on  one 
single  species  of  palm-tree,  similar  to  those  insects  which  feed  on 
one  and  the  same  flower,  or  on  one  and  the  same  part  of  a  plant." 
— Humboldfs  Personal  Narrative,  Vol.  5.  p.  727. 

END    OF    VOL.    II. 


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